Kim Possible: Born to Shadowrun
by Isamu
Summary: In a dystopian future of cyberpunk and magic, can a hero and her goofy sidekick make a difference? Just check the name. After all, Nothing is Impossible for a Possible!
1. Best Laid Plans of Hackers and Runners

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Kim Possible. On that note, I'm delighted by the 4th season, which has thus far been some quality episodes. Hey Disney, how about some DVD sets with juicy extra features (commentary tracks would be totally badical!). I do not own Shadowrun either. However, 4th Edition SR kicks a lot of ass. So if you like Urban Fantasy and Cyberpunk, I recommend getting a copy of the core book, some friends, and a big block of d6's. If you build your character right, you're gonna need 'em! Anyway, on with the show...

--

Kim Possible in:

Born to Shadowrun

Chapter 1: The Best Laid Plans of Hackers and Runners...

Date: October 26th, 2069

Location: Cryo-Dawn Stasis Facility, Treaty City of Denver, an Extraterritorial Holding of Renraku

Most 'Runner teams preferred to have a few more people 'on site' than two. Most preferred to a have their hacker on site these days too, but UpLoad liked the more classic feel of diving into the Matrix from half a continent away. Then again, most hackers weren't nearly as good as UpLoad either. Most teams didn't like to work outside of their home turf either, but this was a special case.

One of the two 'Runners crouched in the shadows, the lithe feminine figure further obscured by the stealth suit she wore. She looked impatient though, as she fidgeted with some of her mission gear, and tapped the commlink on her waist, checking something through her AR. Her green eyes flashed with annoyance, and she tucked an irritating strand of red hair back under her hood as she continued to wait for word from her teammates.

Four distinct tones sounded in her ear, and she rolled her eyes to the right. "Go, UpLoad," she subvocalized. As she looked into the upper right corner of her view, the AR feed from UpLoad appeared, as well as a chat box for her on site companion. UpLoad's Living Persona looked like a black man in his early twenties composed of writhing data and wires. As her eyes scrolled past the various windows floating in her vision, she double-checked the ammo count of her Ares Predator, the heavy handgun she favored, simply out of habit.

"I have the security blinded from this end, but you two need to move fast. I'm getting some weird Matrix traffic," the avatar said.

"OK, UpLoad," scrolled across the other text box. She still didn't understand why he was happy with the stock ninja icon, but that's what he kept going with. "I have the way in and out all figured out. I'm uploading the route I took in now; you getting the data feed 'Zorro Azùl?'"

She hated that handle. Take one stupid online personality quiz, and all of a sudden your Streetname is decided for you. She was, however, getting in the data feed for the route. "All over that o' 'Simian Warrior of the Night,'" she responded.

"First off, not my handle, you know it's Simian Nocturnus; second, still hate monkeys," came over the text window right before it went passive.

"Oh, Simmy, don't be like that," she sent back.

"Come on guys, head in the game," UpLoad sent to both before his window went back to passive as well.

"Right, head in the game." She looked up and saw the vent indicated by the map sent to her. "Now the fun part," she said softly, as she pulled down the green tinted goggles and put on her gas mask, effectively obscuring the rest of her features.

Easing up to the vent Azùl carefully removed the grate, confident that the security was down. After carefully closing the grate behind her, she shimmied up to the drop off that the map indicated. She was delighted to see that it was a straight drop down nearly five stories to the underground portions of the complex where the Payday waited. "Wiz," she said aloud. She braced herself, then did a handstand to tumble into the vents open top, and dropped into the void.

The world slowed around her as she dropped for a little over seven meters, enjoying the rush of adrenaline as she plummeted. After a few heady moments, she twisted impossibly quick to grab the lip of one of the vents branching off the central shaft. Her augmented muscles and tendons strained before soaking the stress.

She wasn't there for more than the moment it took to break her inertia before she kicked off yet again, the white noise generators in her suit smoothing out what little sound she made. As she plunged back into the shaft she performed a tight somersault midair, spinning backwards as she fell. With a soft grunt, muffled by her infiltration gear, she landed a half floor further down where her feet silently touched on the lip of another branch in the vent system. She bent her knees to cushion a bit more of the impact and then rolled backwards, falling carelessly into the void again.

Everything was crisper. Sound, sight, smell, touch, all of it. She loved this feeling, this rush. She was worried that this run would be a bit too much of a cake walk, but, sure enough, she found a way to stay engaged. She almost giggled as she bounced off the wall of the tunnel a few more meters down, her feet coming into contact with the walls, long enough to slow her decent, before she dived forward once again.

"God, this is almost as good as sex," she thought. She was thinking how long it had been since she'd had that little thrill and silently resolved to call that artsy pretty-boy Elf she'd met over the weekend. She wondered if she could get away with it right now, she did have a clean Matrix feed. This line of thought lasted for a few more ricochets, before she finally decided against it. UpLoad would get pissed.

She continued to toy with the idea, wondering if she could get the signal past her Matrix back-up. As she reached out and grabbed the lip of the nearest vent, twisting herself at what should have been an impossible angle, and coming to a complete stop. She saw that the bottom vent was open, just like the map had indicated, dropping into a deserted section of hallway. She tumbled to the ground, rolling into a shooting stance, her heavy handgun coming smoothly into a confident two handed firing position.

She froze for a moment, looking carefully up and down the long corridor she'd landed in. Just as she was standing, a voice behind her said, "Make enough noise on the way down?"

"What? You're kidding, right? I was a damn thief in the night on that descent," she said, spinning to address her partner in crime. Simmy was about as tall as she was, and of average build. He was dressed head to foot in a stealth suit of his own, his had an integrated full face mask and considerably more bells and whistles. Small pouches covered the suit's surface, and there were odd looking discolored spots regularly spaced along the shoulders and arms. She knew that other, more subtle enhancements were integrated into the suit as well.

He just shook his head, "Whatever you say, Azùl."

"Sheesh, you get a little ninja training..." she muttered. She glared at him for a second, and could see through the lenses of his goggles that it was being returned. However, it didn't last long, as she felt a grin start to spread across her face at the same time she saw his eyes light up with his own smile.

"Right then, time to roll," Simmy said. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small mechanical object. It looked like an overgrown tech-infused insect with tool-like mandibles. It rested for a moment in his hand before it seemed to shake itself out. Its large insect eyes lit up with a soft blue glow, and with a low frequency buzz it lifted off his palm. It hovered around for a moment, like it was listening to something, before shuddered happily, and zipping off down the corridor. "Scout's away."

"That thing is so freaky sometimes," Azùl said, trying to suppress a shudder.

"Yeah, but that doesn't make it any less a part of the family." Before Simmy could say any more he stopped, and cocked his head to the side. "Ok, it's clear."

Azùl followed a moment after him, her heavy pistol held low and ready. Despite how odd the little drone looked, it was not only ridiculously useful, it was a part of the family. She trusted the strangely intelligent drone that was more a friend than a thing without a second thought.

The two ghosted down the labyrinth of corridors, having to duck around corners from time to time in order to avoid security guards patrolling the area. Finally, after far too much walking (in her opinion), they came to one of the older parts of the facility. She eased next to the door, feeling painfully exposed, as Simmy plugged a decoding device into the door's lock.

"Figures. Renraku must have updated this when they moved in. It's gonna take a few seconds more than I thought," he said quietly.

"Well, hurry. I think I hear another security sweep coming," she hissed back. As if to emphasize the point, the insect drone suddenly returned, bobbing excitedly in the air, and indicated the direction that the guards were coming from with one of its insectoid legs

"OK, there," he said excitedly as the door smoothly opened and the three rushed in. It closed behind them just as smoothly.

"Wiz," Azùl sighed.

There were a half-dozen monitors that were probably set up to display the status of the various freezers in the halls branching from the room. Several carts for moving the tubes around tucked into a corner. An old style cyberterminal finished off the rooms sparse décor.

She brushed a gloved finger over one of the deactivated monitors, grimacing at the inch or so of dust that followed it up. "Well, at least they changed the locks. UpLoad, you sure we're in the right place?"

UpLoad's Persona appeared in her AR, and seemed to look around the room, actually picking up sensory signals from the two 'Runner's gear and the drone's sensor suite.

"You should be. Check the tubes down the corridor to the left," UpLoad said. "I need to check something else out." The image of UpLoad disappeared from her AR as quickly as it appeared.

"I hate when he does that," she mumbled and started down the hallway full of stasis tubes he'd indicated.

--

As the AR projection of UpLoad faded from view, the Simmy looked at the drone hovering in the air around him. "Keep an eye on the door, little guy," he said.

The drone spun and looked him in the eye before snapping to attention. "You got it," whispered through the AR pick-ups in his ear.

"Thanks, buddy," Simmy said, as the drone began to circle the room, scanning everything around him.

He headed down the hallway UpLoad had told them to try first, deciding to start on the far end and work his way back. Simmy was glad there'd only been a few of these storage 'pods' in this facility. Most of the ones in this wing were desperate people with money trying to escape VITAS; a horrifying thought if the containment measures on these tubes were breached. But even then, he was surprised by how many tubes were empty. He reminded himself that even today the procedure still wasn't cheap. Then again, with a combination of the right magic and bioware, most things that were treatable were curable. Of course, not _everything_ was curable, even under the double guns of science and thaumaturgy. And sometimes a person just wanted to escape from whatever it was for a few decades, which was probably why Renraku bought out this facility and others like it. Then again, maybe they just wanted some additional influence in Denver. Corps had paid more for less, he supposed.

He got to the end of the row, and slowly walked back, checking serial numbers and name plates for each active tube. There were about thirty down this hallway alone, and even if only about half of them were currently occupied, it was still slow going brushing the decades of frost accumulation. Just as he was beginning to wonder if UpLoad's information had been accurate, he found that it was.

"Holy shit, they are here."

"You, you found them?" a startled voice asked from a few meters away.

"I think I did. I did, this is them... we found them! Quick, get those carts from the main room!"

"On it!" she all but yelled as she ran down the hall to retrieve one the transit carts.

He tapped a few keys on his commlink's wrist-mounted interface and contacted UpLoad. "We found 'em, UpLoad!" he subvocalized.

"Good! Load that skill soft I gave you before you left, it'll let you link the stasis tube to the transit cart," UpLoad said.

"Right, right," he said, as he took a chip out of one of the pockets on his suit. He double-checked the connection on the skill soft, pushed aside the bit of fabric covering his data jack, and slotted it in. He shuddered as the skill soft loaded into the muscle and skill wires implanted across his body.

"I'll grab the other cart," Azùl said as she left the first cart next to him. He carefully moved the cart into position as he felt the complex simsense take hold. With one last twitch he relaxed into the software that would guide his body through the process of transferring the stasis tube from the place where it had rested for decades to one of the cart's they'd be using to steal them and their contents. He hoped nothing would go wrong during the process.

The skill soft gave his body the information it needed to do the task, but it was a cheat; he didn't understand what was going on as his hands did task after task. It was like he was watching someone else do it entirely. Still, it was better than being talked through the process or AR guided. This was much faster, and all things considered, more reliable.

Simmy grinned as the light above the module changed from green to amber just as the light on the cart did the same. He stepped back as the mechanisms in the cart and the wall unit took over. With a mechanical screech that he hoped wouldn't bring any guards or technicians running, the first cryotube lifted free from its alcove, and was gently placed in the bed on the cart. The light above the bay went blue, and began to blink as the light on the cart went to green.

As the other cart was positioned and he saw Azùl begin the same mechanical motions of the chipped procedure, the light in the wall unit went back to green. UpLoad was at work behind the scenes, just the way the hacker liked it. With another scream of rusted metal, the second tube was transferred to the other waiting cart. As he pulled the cryotube down the hallway towards the door, he noticed that the other wall light also went back to green.

"We're so wiz," Azùl said. He could almost hear the confident grin in her voice.

"Damn straight. Now let's get the hell out of here." He tapped his wrist pad again, and subvocalized, "UpLoad, we're ready on this end. Ten minutes to exit."

"Make it quick guys, we just had a spike in Matrix traffic, and I don't... _shit_, get out quick. Someone else is here for them, and they're killing my acc..." UpLoad's avatar abruptly vanished.

"Shit," he said.

"So, Run's hosed?" Azùl asked.

"Seems that way," Simmy said as he put a submachine gun on top of the cryotube he was moving.

"Run's hosed," Azùl said.

--

She drew her gun with one hand as she got ready for the drone to cycle the door open for them and begin their rush to the elevator that had been rendered 'out of order' a half hour ago by UpLoad. It led from the sublevel they were on directly to the loading dock where their ride would soon be. The drone opened the door and she followed her fellow 'Runner and life long best friend through the door.

The AR displays in her goggles sprang to life, presenting a detailed mini-map of the floor with their current location and the elevator they were moving towards. It had also been set to log into the rest of the security system and show the PANs of the guards and staff that were supposed to be on the floor. It wasn't showing any other signals.

"Not good, not good. This is kilometers of bad road..." came over the radio link.

"Head in the game, let's just move," she subvocalized to him.

"Shit! The other bank of elevators just opened, but I'm not picking up any PANs coming out of it," he said as they along there escape route.

"Send Bug Eyes to check it out," she hissed back.

"Oh, right. Hey, buddy, mind giving it a look?"

The drone buzzed happily and then took off down the hallway towards the other bank of elevators.

"If there are people there, they'll see us as we cross the main hallway. Unless we take the long way around, that is," he said as he pushed his cart down the hallway.

"No way. We stick to the plan. Our ride is going to be expecting us, and if we're late, it's just going to make everything worse," she said.

"Right, right, getting out with the Payday, sometimes I forget."

They traveled in silence for about a minute, when all of a sudden a video feed appeared in the corner of her view. It was a drone-eye view of one of the other hallways.

At first, it was just an empty hallway, but then around a corner came a single man in a trench coat, a shotgun held in his hands. He had wrap-around sunglasses obscuring his eyes, and a grim expression painted the rest of his face. Moments later came two others in similar garb, each holding submachine guns, one carrying himself with the lanky grace of an elf, the other sporting stubby Ork tusks and a powerful build. The fourth around the corner was a hulking brute, nearly eight feet tall, her face obscured by a mask, but hanging from the feminine forms robes was an assortment of mystical talismans.

"Shit, they got a mage." She was startled to hear her own voice out loud.

"And she's a troll. Run!" he replied as he took his own advice, pushing the cart faster down the hallway. She put her back into the task as well, rushing after him as best she could, burdened by the cart unwieldy mass.

The drone seemed to have escaped the attention of the other team and continued to track them down the hallway, careful to remain between the two Runner teams.

That is, until the elf suddenly looked right at it. His face broke into a sneer and the drone's video feed abruptly went fuzzy, as the elf tried to hack its programming. She smiled as she thought of the surprise the elf had in store if he did manage to get past the little drones firewalls. The grin was short lived as they went through the large central area of the level where the two elevator hallways joined. The sound of gunfire chased the drone as it spun into the empty space and made a tight turn toward the hallway they were escaping down. A few bullets ricocheted into the room but hit nothing.

Azùl was halfway through the room, about four meters behind Simmy, when the other team came into view. They seemed to quickly realize that maybe something was wrong with the two people moving cryotubes in what could only be Runner gear. The bark of weapon fire that followed was thus no surprise. She winced as she caught part of a shotgun blast with her leg. The suit's light armor and her dermal plating stopped most of the force of the impact, but it still hurt like a bitch.

"Want to play rough, huh?" The world slowed as her synaptic accelerators kicked in. With insane ease, she pulled one of the flash bangs off her belt and hurled it down the hallway. Before it could even hit the ground and detonate, her Ares Predator was in hand, and she'd squeezed off two rounds of armor piercing bullets at her attackers. She smiled as the rounds made contact with the elf and the man with the shotgun. She resumed her hasty push down the hallway right as the flash bang detonated.

She hurried down the hallway, quickly catching up with Simmy as they came to the elevator. She saw him disconnect a few wires that had momentarily connected his commlink to the elevator as the door opened with a happy chime. They nodded to each other as she dropped the half spent clip into her hand and loaded a fresh one. She turned to look down the hallway they'd just traversed, weapon leveled while the tubes were loaded. She didn't have long to wait.

The wall surged out, seeming to explode into the hallway. However, instead of a deafening explosion, it was a furious roar. The gout of wall formed into a hulking nine-foot tall figure composed of plascrete, stone, metal tubes, and clusters of wire. While the form was vaguely humanoid, having arms, legs, a torso, and what could be taken as a head with glowing green eyes; its resemblance was a rough one. Its arms ended not in hands and fingers but in fist-like balls of plascrete and rebar. What it might have had for feet was irrelevant, as its legs were merged into the ground, and the elemental simply flowed along the floor. It cared little for walls, flowing in and out of them like water, its composition changing subtly every time.

"Shit, shit, shit!" She unloaded round after round into the elemental as it lumbered down the hallway, far too fast for anything of that size. She felt the gun empty, and with a curse threw it into the open elevator. Impossibly quick, she pulled the three frag grenades she'd decided to bring. At Simmy's puzzled look, she muttered, "Hey, better safe than sorry," before hurling them down the hall at the elemental in rapid succession.

The three bits of explosive death arced down the hall, landing right at the elemental's feet. It didn't even slow down to look at the small explosive devices that had landed so elegantly at its feet. The surprised look on its face when they detonated, consuming its lower half in a vortex of shrapnel, was made all the sweeter because of it. With a gravely groan, it fell heavily to one knee. The other had been consumed by the explosive force, made that much more potent by the close confines of the hallway. Azùl was about to cheer, when she realized that the missing leg, was reforming as it stood, drawing substance from the surrounding wall. She had maybe slowed it for a moment, but probably hadn't truly hurt it.

"Got 'em in, let's get the hell out of here!"

She didn't need to be told twice. As the Ork rounded the corner and opened fire with his submachine gun, she performed a series of back flips, easily dodging the random shots. She landed in the elevator car and picked up the sub-machine gun lying on Simmy's tube. She turned, opening fire down the hallway. She hoped that the swarm of explosive rounds being fired blindly down the hall would prevent more bullets coming in their direction.

She watched as the elemental resumed its charge. It continued its alien gliding run down the hallway towards them, murder in its glowing eyes. Luckily for them, it was still about ten meters off when the elevator doors closed with an unconcerned chime. With a shudder, the car began to rise.

"I hate mages," she said, as she handed the spent SMG to Simmy.

"Tell me about it." He paused for a second to look down at the two tubes. "Think they were after these two?"

She thought about it for a second while he reloaded his weapon. "UpLoad thought so. It wouldn't surprise me I guess."

They waited in silence as the elevator continued its rapid journey upwards. Finally, with yet another satisfied chime, the doors opened onto the loading bay, where a startled black man in his twenties was walking towards the delivery truck backed up to one of the bays. Two guns focused on him.

"Damn it guys, you're a hundred and thirty seven seconds early," he mumbled.

"Sorry, Network," they both said as they lowered their guns.

"Jinx, you owe me a beer!" she said triumphantly.

"Damn it, every time!"

"Come on, let's get the these two loaded. I lost my connection to UpLoad a few minutes ago, and I could swear I heard gunfire from downstairs."

There was a horrible shuddering from the elevator shaft, and the sound of the elemental's roar.

"OK, do I even want to know what that is?" Network said, nodding at the elevator doors.

"How do you feel about elementals?" she responded as they pushed the carts towards the back of the modified delivery van.

"Not a big fan," Network said.

"Well then, we should get a move on," she responded.

Network ran to the front of the van, cursing along the way that it lacked a rigger interface. She and Simmy wheeled their cargo into the back of the van, linking them to the tanks of pressurized gases in the back that would keep the tubes at stasis temperatures until they were able to get back to Seattle.

As she pulled the vans cargo doors shut, she saw the loading dock's elevator doors burst open and the elemental flowed out. She grinned as she closed the truck's door. Hopefully it wouldn't be bright enough to chase after the vehicle that was so calmly leaving.

--

They had gotten to the loading dock moments after the summoned spirit, and had only caught the tail lights of what looked like a delivery van leaving Renraku property. The man with the shotgun grimaced.

He tapped the commlink at his waist and after a few moments spoke aloud. "Sorry, sir, mission is unsuccessful." He listened for a moment before he replied. "No sir, another team got the tubes first and escaped with them. Some bad timing on our part, Mr. Johnson." He fell silent for another few moments. "No, sir, no clear description. They did have a funny little drone with them, but apart from that..." Another pause before, "Of course not, sir. We'll return the deposit, of course." A startled look washed over his face as he listened again. "Well, thank you, sir. We appreciate it. We'll be more than happy to. I'll report in when we're done." He turned to the rest of his team.

"What does Mr. Johnson want?" the troll mage asked.

"Mr. Johnson said he expected something like this to happen. We can also keep the down payment if we can take care of another little problem."

"What is it?" the Ork asked.

"Nothing we haven't done before."

--

Azùl turned back to Simmy and the two tubes. She pulled down the hood and pulled of the gas mask and goggles. After a short shake, she ran her hands through her shoulder length red hair, pushing a few stray strands out of her eyes.

Her companion pushed back his own hood after removing his face coverings. The long red hair tucked down the back of the suit was quickly tied into a tight tail. His blue eyes met her green ones, and they both turned to look at the two stasis tubes.

"So, Sis, that's them, huh?" he said, as he rubbed the window of the tube labeled 'Ronald D. Stoppable' free of frost, revealing the blond-haired young man within. A slightly shocked, almost silly, expression was frozen into his features.

"I think it is," she said. She rubbed away the frost on the tube labeled 'Kimberly A. Possible.' Within was revealed a peacefully sleeping face, framed by a mane of red hair. "Hi Auntie Kim."

To be continued...

Well, I hope you've all enjoyed the first bit of my first foray into both Kim Possible and Shadowrun fanfiction. Yes, the heavy use of Shadowrun jargon was intentional, and I hope it didn't put people off too much. But, hey, I'm happy to provide a list of some of the common "street slang" and technical terms that were used.

AR – Augmented reality. Information added to or overlaid upon a user's sensory perceptions in the form of visual data, graphics, sound, haptics, smell, and/or limited simsense.

Commlink – The class of personal computer used by nearly everyone to access wireless services, typically loaded with accessories. Commlinks also serve as the hub for a user's PAN. Often just 'comm' or 'link.'

Cyberterminal - a special type of computer used to access the Matrix.

Drone – Unmanned vehicles, typically controlled via direct wireless link or threw the Matrix.

Living Persona – The mental "organic computer" that allows technomancers to access the matrix with their minds alone.

Matrix – The world wide telecommunications network.

Mr. Johnson – name often adopted by a person who hires Shadowrunners.

Shadowrunners – Mercenaries or career criminals, depending on who you ask. When there's a dirty or dangerous job that you need "deniable assets" to take care of, these are the most advantages, and expendable, tools.

PAN – Personal Area Network. The network created by all of the wirelessly-linked electronic devices carried (or within) a person.

VITAS – Viral Induced Toxic Allergy Syndrome. This devastating pandemic, in its first outbreak in the early twenty first century, killed approximately 25 of the world population. Two other outbreaks have happened since, one killing off another 10 of the global population. The final was connected to a terrorist attack.

Wiz – cool.

I think that got 'em all...

Finally, I'd like to thank the folks who took time out of what they were doing to give me some editing. This would have had many more spelling errors, grammar flubs, run on sentences, and other varied abuses against the English language without their help. So, big round of applause for "Font Size 26" (aka Pete!), Teh Zuh, and Your Queen of Fanfiction and mine: Cyberwraith9.

See ya next time! Water and Shade all.


	2. Sickness and Slumber

Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Kim Possible, Disney does. Can ya tell? Fourth Season has been a blast thus far. As sad as I'll be to see it go, I'm glad we got another season. Not that I think that Disney will ever be aware of this, at least not without some _real work_ on my part. However, if they are, DVD sets! Come on, commentary tracks would be cool, as would behind the scenes stuff. How about some picture in picture commentary? Like Goonies? I mean, if Goonies can do it, why can't you?

I figure that I should mention that I don't own Shadowrun either. It used to be owned by Wizkids. However, they've just changed hands to Catalyst Game Studio. Fourth Edition Shadowrun has been a solid revision. Award winning even. And now that the sale of Shadowrun has been finalized, there should be some new books soon. In fact, _Emergence_ should be out soon. So if you like Urban Fantasy and Cyberpunk, I recommend getting a copy of the core book, some friends, and a big block of d6's. If you build your character right, you're gonna need 'em! In fact, if you want a nasty little build, and have access to Street Magic, try Adapt that specializes in throwing. Anyway, on with the show...

--

Kim Possible in:

Born to Shadowrun

Chapter 2: Sickness and Slumber

Date: January 10th, 2009

Location: Middleton Colorado, United States of America

"So, that's the sitch," Kim Possible, former teen hero, now in her early twenties, the "Girl Who Could Do Anything" said. "Final evaluation is that in less than two years, this thing will progress to a point where it's basically incurable, and I'll more than likely be dead in six." She didn't stumble over the last part, but it was hard. Ron holding her hand helped a lot. Honestly, she didn't know where she'd be without him and her family through all this.

"According to all the experts I've talked to, and all the research Wade was able to dig through," she said with a smile towards her hacker friend, "it's still about ten to fifteen years until there's anything resembling a real treatment."

They were in the living room of the Possible home. Kim's parents sat on the sofa across from where Kim and Ron sat on the love seat, with Rufus perched nervously on Ron's knee. The twins were sitting on the other end of the sofa from their parents, fidgeting uncomfortably; normally odd behavior for the sixteen year-old high school seniors. Kim hadn't decided if it was just nervous energy, or the thought of mortality hitting so close to home that was responsible.

Wade sat on the stone lip of the fireplace, also looking vaguely uncomfortable. Kim wondered briefly if he would be handling this any better from safely behind his computer screen, and almost let out a small laugh at the thought. Nana was seated in one of the scattered chairs, and looked to be calmly weighing the issue at hand.

"Now, Kimberly, are you sure you want to go through with this? You might only be delaying the inevitable," Nana said, breaking the silence that had followed Kim's announcement.

"I don't see what other choice I have," Kim said. "It's either that, or just wait to wither and die."

Everyone except Nana shifted uncomfortably at this point.

"But cold sleep, Kim? That's dangerous too," her father added.

"I know, but I don't see a lot of options." She took a deep breath before she continued, "I'm twenty-one, and I'll be twenty-two in a few months, and that makes it my choice, right or wrong." Kim looked at the expectant faces. Then she smiled with as much courage as she could manage. "Besides, I'm still on track for graduation, and so far the medication and pain killers I do have are more than enough to see me through my last semester. No big."

"Yeah, it's not like people don't wait to go back for grad school," Ron added, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "And it's not like cooking is going to change that much either," he said as he met her eyes.

The assembled Possibles looked at each other for a moment, seemingly unsure of what they'd just heard. "Ron?" her mother finally asked.

"We've already had this discussion, Mom," Kim said before Ron could answer. "I can't talk him out of it." She returned the hand squeeze as she smiled at her boyfriend.

"Even after college expenses, I still have more than enough in trust funds from the second two Naco royalties checks to pay for both of us to go into the freezer for a hundred years if we need to," Ron said. At the quizzical gazes from the rest of those gathered, he chuckled a bit, and used his free hand to rub the back of his neck nervously. "Really, what would I do without her? Besides, we might not have said the words, but I'm there with her, wherever she goes, good times and bad," Ron finished softly.

Kim saw her parents look at each other, their expressions softening. Finally, her mom looked at Ron and said, "What did your parents say?"

"Well, they were a bit, uh, put out at first. But then we sat down and talked about it for a few hours..." Ron paused for a moment; he seemed to be trying to decide what to say next.

Kim was there when Ron had explained his plan to his parents. He had been planning on just leaving a note explain the whole thing. 'Payback,' he had muttered, but she'd convinced him to talk to them. Sure, while they'd certainly sprung the whole baby sister thing on him, it wasn't like they'd gone and unexpectedly moved out of the country or anything.

It had gone about as expected. To say the Stoppable's were 'put out' might have been something of an understatement. Shocked, confused, and frightened was a more accurate take on it. And while it hadn't taken the few hours to explain it all to his parents, it had taken a few for the two of them to get done talking about it and give their son the blessing he had been hoping for.

Kim smiled again. Before she left that night, his mom had hugged her and welcomed her to the family. "Anyway, in the end, the 'rents agreed that it was my choice to make, and if I felt it was the right one, then they were behind me."

"It's all decided, then," Nana said. "And since I don't want to go to the funeral of any of my grandchildren, I don't think I have any objection. Besides, I don't think it would be my place to even if I did. I guess I'll just have to do what I can to stick around until you're better. I don't want to miss seeing the two of you get hitched," Nana said the last bit with in an obvious stage whisper.

Kim went beet red, and could see Ron mirroring her color change out of the corner of her eye. However, the laugher that followed in the wake of Nana's comment drained the tension from the room, and that was more than worth any small amount of embarrassment.

--

As the discussion went into some details of Kim's current condition, Ron started to feel a bit uncomfortable. This was ground well-tread for him, and something he and Kim dealt with regularly. He looked over at the best thing that had ever happened to him and smiled. He saw her glance over and she smiled back, squeezing his hand once again.

"I know I'm a bit thirsty. Possibles and friends, anyone else like a drink?" he said, as the conversation lulled for a moment. Those gathered murmured in agreement. "How about I head into the kitchen and whip-up some drinks for everyone?"

"Some coffee would be nice," Kim's mom said, as her dad and Nana nodded.

"I could use a glass of wine, but I think my meds wouldn't like that too much," Kim told him softly, grinning at him.

Ron chuckled, kissed her cheek and said, "Spoiled grape juice, really now?" Then to the rest of the room, "So, coffees all around? Right then, let's see what the Ron-man can whip up."

Wade looked over at him as he stood up. "Let me give you a hand Ron. That's a lot of coffee cups to haul in," Wade said.

"Sure thing, many hands, easy work, log cabin building and all that," he said as Wade stood and they both went to the kitchen.

As they left the room, the conversation resumed. It sounded to Ron that Kim and Nana were comparing medication regimens. Ron was pretty sure Kim had her grandmother beat. As Ron checked the coffee pot, clean as expected, he turned to Wade.

"Why, Ron?" Wade asked, beating Ron to the punch.

"Why what: the coffee or the long nap?" Ron said as he put in a fresh filter, and then began to look for the right coffee from the several verities in the cabinet. "Although, I guess that is kind of a silly thing to wonder. After all, you never question coffee," Ron said flippantly.

"Ron, can we be serious here for just a few minutes, please? You're both my friends, the best friends I have! I just want to know why," Wade said, as he began to collect the needed coffee mugs from another cabinet.

Ron silently considered his friend's question. It was hardly the first time he'd been asked that same thing over the last few days, and he was guessing it wouldn't be the last for the next few months. He poured some freshly ground coffee beans into the coffee maker, and added hot water while he considered his response, knowing he'd need one for when they told Felix, Monique, and the rest of their friends later today at dinner.

As he pressed the button to start the machine brewing, his thoughts lined up. "I love her. I know, that's a really sappy reason, but that's the heart of it," Ron stopped for a second; he didn't know how far he could actually say his feeling out loud. "The thing is, I don't want Kim to wake up and find a different Ron waiting for her. I don't want her to wake up all alone in a world that's changed while she hasn't. I'm going to be there, just as confused as she is by the flying cars, ridiculous hemlines, and super-mini-computers and such that we're going to miss out on while we're asleep. I'd rather miss out on a few years of zombie video games and action movies than try to enjoy 'em without Kim." Ron felt himself just trailing off at this point. Then he laughed, "I don't even know if that makes any sort of sense."

Wade was quiet for another few moments before he finally replied. "No, Ron. I see where you're coming from." Wade stopped and considered something for a minute. "And I promise, when you wake up, I'll have a digital briefing of all the stuff you guys missed," Wade said, a grin crossing his face.

"Booyah!" Rufus suddenly exclaimed. Ron looked down at his naked mole rat pet and friend, who'd jumped out of his pocket to raid some of the cheese dish left behind on the kitchen counter from dinner.

"You got that right, buddy," Ron said as he and Wade laughed at the naked mole rat's antics.

Ron was silent for a few minutes as the coffee finished it's percolation. "Wade," he finally said, "I have a favor to ask."

"Sure, Ron, anything you need."

"I need you to hold onto something for me."

--

Kim marveled as the next few months seemed to fly by. She and Ron both graduated from Colorado State, although in Ron's case it might have been close due to some of the math generals doing unpleasant things to his GPA.

Her health hadn't declined very much in that time, but there were a few nights when she was glad that she and Ron had dropped the pretext of separate living arrangements a little over a year ago, and he didn't need an excuse to sleep in her bed and hold her while she all but whimpered in pain for most of the night.

However, the time did pass, and no matter how much of it she tried to spend with Ron, her family, and friends, as the day approached, she realized that it couldn't have been enough.

--

Date: July 26th, 2009

Location: New-Dawn Cryostasis facility Denver Colorado, United States of America

"OK, Tweebs, pay attention. You haven't had to fight Drakken and Shego yet, and they really are tougher than you'd think. Okay, Shego is. The key to Shego is that she likes to talk smack during a fight. Don't let it throw your game. In the end, despite the energy blasts…"

"She's still just human," Jim said, interrupting her.

"And she still goes down with a solid hit," Tim finished

Kim smiled at her brothers, who, along with Wade, had decided to continue Team Possible. In the last few months it had just become too much to juggle school and doctors. Missions had long since fallen to the wayside, much to her disappointment. When the Tweebs had stepped in a few months ago, she'd never been as proud of her little brothers. They were proving that Team Possible would continue with gusto.

"And Monkey Fist?"

"Man, you were less of a slave driver as our soccer coach," Jim said.

"Maybe, but what about him?"

"He's crazy. Crazy as a sack of monkeys and just as dangerous," Jim started.

"But in the end, despite how dangerous he is," Tim continued.

"He underestimates everyone else he encounters," Jim took over.

"And that's what you use to take him down, that massive blind spot to anyone who doesn't have opposable toes," Tim covered.

"But watch out for the monkey ninjas. That and learn from his mistake: never underestimate what comes at you. Like we'd ever," Jim finished, grinning broadly.

"You guys rock. Those freaks out there won't know what hit 'em," Kim said as she hugged her brothers. After a moment, they returned the embrace.

"Listen, Kim," Tim said.

"We're sorry about all the grief we gave you," Jim finished.

"No big, you're both way forgiven. Besides, I need you to know I'm sorry for the hell I dished on you two." Her eyes were starting to itch with tears.

"Like you said, no big," Tim said.

"What's family for if it's not being annoying and then forgiving?" Jim said.

Kim laughed, and a few tears snuck free. "I couldn't agree more. Now, make sure that you compile some highlights of your missions, I want a _Best of the Tweebs_ report when I wake up."

"Hika bika boo, Kim," both said with matching grins.

"Hoosha, guys," Kim answered as the three finally broke their embrace.

She walked with her brothers into the prep room, where Ron was sitting on a table, wincing as one of the nurses injected him with the chemical needed to prepare them for stasis. There was a similar array of needles waiting for Kim as well.

Her parents, Ron's parents, and Hana were all in the room, getting ready to say their goodbyes. Kim had been wondering for months if there was some way to avoid this, but as she looked at all their faces, she suddenly knew that she was glad she had never figured out how.

"Kimmie!" Hana exclaimed as she walked in. The little girl ran up and hugged her de facto big sister. She looked up at Kim with eyes that had always seemed too wise for a child her age. "Ron says it's time for you guys to sleep now."

"Yeah, and when I wake up, we'll be able to do each others hair and talk about boys," Kim said as she leaned down to hug the little sister she'd never had.

"I'm going to miss you," Hana said. Kim could here her sniffling back tears.

"I'm gonna miss you too," Kim said as they broke the embrace. Hana walked along side her as she went to the examination table next to the group of parents. It sounded like they were again in the process of being reassured of the procedure by the head technician and physician.

Kim sat down on the table and rolled up the sleeve on her hospital gown, so that the nurse could give her the needed injection. With a single painful pinch, it was done. The nurse smiled warmly at her and patted her shoulder in a reassuring gesture before she packed up the spent needles and quietly left the room.

"I won't lie," the head technician, Doctor Kif, said as Kim rubbed her arm where the needle had gone in. "Despite our recent strides in cryostasis, it's still not one hundred percent. However, the chances of intercellular ice forming, one of the larger hurdles, has been beat by the chemical treatments we've been introducing to their systems for the last several weeks. The final treatments are today, at which point they'll go into stasis."

"In fact, that treatment, and others, means we have a very high success rate for revitalization." Dr. Boon, the case physician, continued. "These chemical agents are a breakthrough in and of themselves. They help preserve the cell walls, and allow the minimum needed intercellular communication, providing an effect similar to antifreeze for the soft tissue, while still allowing for core temperature to be maintained at the proper levels. We've had to build up the levels slowly, so their bodies can acclimate at least a little to what we're introducing today. The half-life for these final chemical compounds while under cryo is sixty to seventy years. However, once revived, it becomes closer to fifteen to twenty days."

"So, in other words, we're gonna be kinda loopy for a few weeks when we come out, but after that, we'll be bondiggity once again," Ron said, as he walked up behind his and Kim's mom. He wrapped an arm around both their waists in a casual embrace.

Both women smiled. Ron's mom hugged him back. "We know," she said, "it's just nice to hear it again."

"It's so not the drama," Kim said with all the confidence she could muster. "Heck, they're even letting Rufus come along," she said, indicating the naked mole rat sitting on another examination table, rubbing his side where his most recent injection had been administered.

She hopped off of her perch, and walked over to Ron sliding easily into the offered arm that had only a moment ago been embracing her mother. She hugged him fiercely, if only briefly, as their arms wrapped around each other.

Doctor Boon cleared his throat. "Miss Possible, Mister Stoppable, we have the last few injections ready. We're ready whenever you are to induce the comatose state on all three of you, and then stasis. Doctor Kif and I can step outside for a few minutes, so you and Mister Stoppable can say your goodbyes if you'd like."

"Please and thank you, Doctor," Kim answered. Both doctors nodded and the two left the room, conferring with each other too softly for her to hear. She looked at Ron and smiled. He was already looking a bit feverish from the injection, one of the side effects they'd both been dealing with for the last few months. She'd be glad when it was finally over, and they were asleep. "Well, this is it," she started to say. However, she didn't get much past the 'Well' before seven more sets of arms embraced the couple.

Hana wrapped herself around both Kim's and Ron's legs, clutching one from each tightly. She saw Mr. Stoppable was crying as she hugged him back. Her mom was there next. The two embraced in silence; Kim just wasn't sure what to say. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her dad and Ron shaking hands. Ron was still rubbing tears out of his eyes as he and his dad embraced. Jim and Tim came up next, and she hugged them both at once. They returned the hug, a little awkwardly due to the crush of bodies and Hana refusing to let go of either leg.

"Be good you two," said Kim.

"We will," Jim said.

"Count on it," Tim said.

Ron's mom was there next. The older woman laughed softly as she ran her hand through Hana's hair before embracing Kim.

"I'm counting on you to take care of Ron for me. You know how he can be."

"Count on it." As the two broke the hug, Kim grinned at her. "Besides, who's your favorite gentile?"

"John Wayne, dear. But you're right up there too," she answered. She and Kim shared a wry smile at their old joke. She stepped over to Ron as Kim's dad moved over to embrace his daughter.

They held each other in silence for a few minutes before he finally said, "You promise me you're going to get better, Kimmie-cub."

"Promise, Daddy." They stepped away from each other, and she saw her dad wipe a tear from his eye. Finally, she eased out of Hana's pint sized vise grip. She crouched before the girl and ran her hand through her dark hair. "You take care of yourself, you hear?" Kim told her.

"I will. No matter what, I will."

"Atta girl," Kim said as the two hugged. She held her for a few minutes, until she felt Ron's hand lightly rubbing her back.

"Mind if I get a hug from my little sis' too?"

Hana broke the hug and almost jumped into Ron's arms. The two shared a whispered conversation. Kim overheard some talk of how to get a hold of the ninjas at Yamanochi. Hana listened carefully, and promised her brother that she'd contact them if she ever saw Monkey Fist. Finally, Ron put her down, and she went to stand next to her parents. A truly awk-weird silence fell over the group. It seemed like no one was quite sure what to do, or even say.

"No 'goodbyes'" her dad said suddenly. "No sir, this is 'good night, and sweet dreams' to the both of you."

Rufus jumped onto Ron's shoulder, and spared her dad a glare. "Uh-hem," the mole rat intoned.

"Sorry, and you too, of course, Rufus," he added.

"Thanks!" Rufus squeaked.

"Thanks everybody," Kim said. She stood hand in hand with Ron. She tried to lock in their faces at this moment, something to take to the dreamless sleep with her.

"Let's give them some privacy," Ron's mom said, as she took her husband and daughter in hand. "And Ron, we're proud of you. We always have been and always will be."

"Thanks, Mom," Ron said, almost stumbling on the words.

"That goes for us as well, Kimmie-cub. We'll see you both when you wake up," her dad said as he left the room. Her mom and brothers left the room after him, the door swung shut behind them.

Kim and Ron turned to each other and met in a fiery kiss. It lingered on for several sweet minutes before they finally parted. They stood together, arms still wrapped around each other, leaning their foreheads together. They'd said the rest of their goodbyes the night before.

"Ready?" Kim said.

"As I'll ever be, KP," Ron replied.

"I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you've got my back," she said softly.

"Always KP. Always."

--

Rufus watched on while his humans continued to tightly hold each other. Finally, they stepped apart as Kim almost fainted. Her condition was worse than anyone except Ron suspected. Her strength was impressive. Then again, so was his, even if it ran in different veins. Despite her sickness, she remained strong, drawing strength from him, who in turn drew it from her. It was an interesting spiritual system. All in all, the last few months had been fascinating for Rufus.

He wondered if that was why they had – oh, how had that pirate movie put it – "a touch of destiny" about them both. Two people, both touched as these two were, whose fates seemed so intertwined? It was a unique situation. In fact, it was that touch of destiny that had caused him to linger around Ron in the first place. Then, when Kim had entered the mix, he knew he'd found something truly worth his notice. It had remained a fascinating situation. He wondered how it would change in the next few years.

He continued to ponder the implications as Ron helped his lover sit down before he went into the hallway to call the doctors back in. The two entered accompanied by the nurse from before and a pair of orderlies. They eased his humans onto gurneys and Rufus leapt nimbly onto Ron's.

They were wheeled down to the area of the facility that housed the stasis tubes. He couldn't help but see them as a more modern crypt of technology rather than spirituality, where the bodies would be held and the souls all but ignored.

As they were being given the last few injections, he couldn't help but marvel at the dynamics. Humanity had come so far, and in this Age especially. As if to emphasize the point, Rufus felt a needle plunge into his own side, and the final component of the stasis cocktail was introduced to his system.

It flowed through his meat shell, soaking into the cells and the borders around them, he felt the world slow as his perceptions began to fold in on themselves. For a moment, he thought about just leaving. He'd come back in a few years of course to check in on things, why stick around?

Then something drew his attention back to his humans.

"Love you, KP," he heard Ron say softly.

"Love you, Ron," Kim said at the same moment.

As unconsciousness claimed them, he could see their hands finally come apart from each other. At that moment, he saw something interesting once again. He had expected the sense of destiny about them to fade a bit. After all, they were leaving behind their world, in more ways then one, and who knew what their role would be in the next. However, it didn't. For a moment, they both blazed with it.

As they placed his body in the tube with Ron, he decided that he could use a bit of a rest. Besides, this way he could make sure he was there to see them when they awoke; more than that, he could make sure that they did awake. In that instant, he decided he wanted to see where this was going, and really, what were a few years, a couple of decades at most?

--

The cold came, and sleep followed. While they slept, the Fifth World Ended, and The Sixth World Awakened.

To be continued...

--

Well, I'm back. Hope that chapter two was an enjoyable read for everyone. I'd like to, again, thank everyone who reviewed chapter one. I'd also like to comment that I've revised chapter one a little bit based on a late preread getting back to me. Nothing significant story-wise, just a few mechanical changes, but I did add the definition of VITAS. (For tose who just want that info: VITAS – Viral Induced Toxic Allergy Syndrome. This devastating pandemic, in its first outbreak in the early twenty first century, killed approximately 25 of the world population. Two other outbreaks have happened since, one killing off another 10 of the global population. The final was connected to a terrorist attack.)

I was hoping to have this one out a little sooner, but CONvergance interfered with those plans. As it does every year quite frankly. However, CONvergance is always a damn good time, so I can't hold my delays against it. Hopefully chapter three will be out in a few weeks.

Last but not least, I'd once again like to thank my friends who proofread this chapter. Without them, this would have had far more spelling/grammar problems, run on sentences, mix ups with then/than, and a few words used far too often. So let's give a round of applause to: "Font Size 26" (aka Pete!), Teh Zhu, and your Queen of Fanfiction and Mine: Cyberwraith 9 (who has begun to post: Our Power Together, the forth chapter of the Power Trilogy, check it out!)

See ya next time! Water and Shade all.


	3. And So It Came To Pass

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Kim Possible. At this point, there's only one new episode left to 4th season to boot. Sad. Hopefully at some point in the near future, Disney will pull its head out of its ass and realize that they can make some money off season sets. And Spirits help 'em if they don't have some decent special features. I do not own Shadowrun either. However, 4th Edition SR kicks a lot of ass. Emergence finally hit shelves, and has proved to be a quality product. I'll be picking up Augmentation soon as well. At this point, expect to see a few character sheets for some of the characters in this fic. Now, without further ado, on with the show...

Kim Possible in:

Born to Shadowrun

Chapter 3: And So It Came To Pass

Date: November 16th, 2069

Location: St. Samuel's Private Clinic, Seattle Metroplex, UCAS

Sunlight on her face and the smell of the ocean woke Kim. She slowly blinked what felt like an inch deep curtain of crust from her eye's, and slowly looked around. She felt numb all over, but that faded fast. She expected to be hit by a sudden wave of pain as sensation returned. However, as she wiggled her fingers and toes, she realized that there were only a few things that seemed off.

The pinched sensation radiating from her right hand turned out to be an IV. One odd sensation accounted for. She was fairly convinced that the hollow, gnawing feeling coming from her abdomen was at one point her stomach. With work, she was convinced it might even be again. She needed to shift a bit to discover the source of the pins and needles sensation that raced down her otherwise numb left arm. "Ron," Kim said, relieved.

The man in question had fallen asleep at her bedside. His arms rested across hers, pillowing his head and causing the interruption in blood flow. Kim felt a smile spread across her face. She decided that a little discomfort was a small price to pay to let him sleep a bit longer.

The IV and Ron weren't the only things attached to her. She quickly noted that several pads were adorning her as well. One was placed on each temple, another was over her heart, and a few more were at major arteries. She examined the one on her wrist for a moment. She'd seen similar at the hospital her mom worked at. Normally, wires would connect them to a computer set to monitor various vital signs. She looked around the room for anything of the sort. While the piece of electronic hardware mounted on the headboard looked promising, it was lacking any sort of display.

She extended her observations to the rest of the room. Her eyes were drawn to the open patio doors, the obvious source for both the sunlight and ocean scent. The cream colored paint wasn't the normal sterile hospital white she'd been expecting. She was pretty sure it was some sort of hospital from the curtains that could be drawn around her bed, and the other bed next to it. By its particular unmade state, she was guessing that Ron was her roommate. She looked down at Ron again and smiled.

"Ron, honey, wake up. I need my arm back," Kim said.

"Huh, what?" Ron mumbled. He blinked sleepily then sat up, wiping the bit of collected drool from the side of his mouth. His eyes seemed to focus a moment later, and as they did a grin spread across his face. "Sleeping Beauty awakens."

"I thought it took a kiss to wake up sleeping beauty," Kim coyly responded.

"I do believe that is how it goes, isn't it?" She grinned as Ron leaned over and performed his part for the story. She sighed into the kiss, and ran a hand through his hair. When it broke, she leaned back and smiled. "Now I think I'm awake."

"Glad I could help," Ron said as he took her hand in his, gently rubbing her palm. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling..." She trailed off as she began to take a more careful evaluation of her body's state. She felt hungry, certainly. More tired than she thought she would. That's when it dawned on her, "... I'm feeling badical. The pain's gone, it's completely gone. This is incredible! How long were we in cryo? How long have we been out of it? Where's my family?" Kim's raced. She probably would have had more questions, except she was interrupted by a polite knock on the door.

"Good morning Ms. Possible, Mr. Stoppable," a young woman said as she entered the room. Kim and Ron both sat up, startled by the interruption. The doctor didn't seem to notice. She looked to be in her late twenties, with shoulder length hair colored bright orange and wearing familiar blue hospital scrubs with a lab coat over them. After repositioning a cart and chair next to Kim's bed, she spent a few minutes organizing the instruments on it.

Kim was startled to see that most of them were not what she associated with modern medical practices. While the standard gloves, needles, tongue depressors and such were certainly there, they were joined by several crystals, some incense, candles, what looked like a ritual knife, and several more odd implements.

The doctor looked at the varied devices on the cart, and then picked up some sort of crystal set into what looked like a copper frame. "It's good to see that you're finally awake, Ms. Possible. How are you feeling today?" The doctor asked, as she studied Kim intently for a minute, looking at her through the crystal. Her warm gray eyes focused someplace a few feet behind her. It was like she was looking through her more than at, in a very disconcerting way.

"Good, morning doctor?" Kim responded, more then a little confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry Ms. Possible, I'm being horribly rude. I'm Dr. Sable Rohr. I'll be handling your case," she said, holding out her hand. Kim shook it and smiled back. "So now, how are you feeling?" Dr. Rohr asked. "I understand you were in cryo stasis for some time. That can have some odd side effects."

"No, I'm feeling great. I can't think of when I've felt better, in fact," Kim said. She shot Ron a delighted grin and reached over to squeeze his hand.

"That's good. I was worried that there might be some phantom pain or discomfort. Now, I've just Assensed you again, and as far as I can tell, your aura is clean. Any vestiges of the spirit that had possessed you is, as far as I can tell, fully banished," she said, crisp and professional. She then tapped at a MP3 player sized device on her wrist, and seemed to lose focus for a moment. "It was quite the advanced case. It got to the point where your body was becoming unable to deal with any pathogens at all."

Kim looked at her doctor dumbstruck. When she finally found her voice, she managed to squeak out, "My, 'aura' looks clean?"

The doctor still had a far off look, as if she was concentrating on something in the air off to the right. She snapped out of her daze and looked back at Kim.

"Hmm, oh, yes, very. It was a nasty little bastard causing the problems too. Some sort of corrupted earth spirit, I think. Like I said, it had progressed pretty far. You must have been someplace where blood magic, or one of the other less savory varieties of sorcery, was practiced. You're lucky you were in cryo when the Awakening occurred. I have no idea how it would have reacted to _that._ I doubt it would have been good."

She again tapped at the device on her arm. "Now, in order to deal with the last of the bacteria in your system, I placed you on a routine of fairly aggressive antibiotics. That's what the IV drip is for. Now that you're awake, we should be able to go to an oral antibiotic tomorrow.

"I'd still like to see you on a weekly basis for the next two months to make sure that it didn't leave any bits of toxic residue in your system." At the shocked look on Kim's face, she reached over and patted her hand. "Don't worry; I'm not expecting any problems."

"Of course not," Kim said. She still wasn't quite sure if this was serious, or some elaborate joke.

"Good. You, both of you, are going to need some physical therapy to get back up to top form. Even an adept couldn't take that long of a cold sleep without some sort of complications," she said. She tapped at the device on her arm a few more times.

"Ah, right, I guess not," Kim said. She looked around the room, wondering when everyone was going to jump out and yell 'surprise!'

"Now, if you don't have any other questions, you have some guests that have been waiting eagerly to see you. If you feel up to it that is?" she finished with a smile.

"Please and thank you!" Kim said eagerly.

"All right then, I'll send them in," she said.

She maneuvered the cart back towards the door, which she opened with barely a glance. Once again, she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. The doctor stepped into the hallway and spoke to someone just outside the room. "She seems eager to receive visitors, so you folks can head on in. Just make sure she eats some lunch."

"Of course, doctor, we'll make sure." The gravelly voice that answered was muffled by the door, obscuring the owner's identity.

As the door opened again, Kim felt herself holding her breath. She let it out again in a surprised gasp as two older men entered. They both looked to be in their late sixties, maybe even early seventies. The first to enter was a white man leaning lightly on a simple cane. The second man was a bit taller than the first. His dark skin showed the years just as much as his companion's, but he walked with a bit more of a spry and steady step. He was carrying some sort of metallic briefcase. Both of them were nicely, if casually, dressed.

"My God! I didn't think I'd ever see you again, Kim," the black man said.

Kim looked at them both, confused. There was something very, familiar about the both of them. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" she asked, blushing a little at having to ask.

The two men looked at each other and grinned. Finally, the old white man looked her dead in the eyes. "Hika bika boo, Kim?"

Kim's eyes went wide. She looked at him, and then the other, struggling for the words. Shock played across her face, as she finally realized who they both were. "Tim? Wade?"

"See, I told you she'd recognize me!" Tim Possible said happily.

"I shouldn't have doubted," Wade Load said, a huge smile playing across his face. "I still think Ron told her, though."

"Hey now, I did no such thing. Hell, we haven't even had time to talk yet. What between far too little kissing and Dr. Shaman visiting," Ron said indignantly.

"How could I not? I could always, tell," Kim felt her voice trail off as realization began to fully settle in. "How long?"

Wade and Tim looked at each other. She was trying to guess their ages. They both looked just so _old_. She began to pray that they'd end the joke any moment now. Any second they'd both say 'surprise' and drop the holo-disguises.

Tim took her hand. She could feel the rough texture of his skin. She thought she could feel the resounding sense of life lived and age in that hand. Then he spoke, softly and calmly. "Kim, it's 2069. You've been asleep for sixty years. But don't worry, you're cured now. You're safe. You're with the people who love you."

"How? Did it take that long to find a cure? It was only supposed to be a few years. Where's everyone else? Where's Jim? Where are Mom and Dad? What... oh God, what happened?" Kim asked.

Ron was suddenly there, wrapping his arms around her. He just held her close, lightly rubbing her arms. She almost collapsed into him.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," she mumbled, desperately trying to collect herself.

"A lot's happened Kim. More than you can imagine," Wade said. "So, so much more, Kim."

"Kim, I know this is pretty overwhelming. If you want, we can come back later to fill you in on it," Tim added.

"No," Kim said, the strength returning to her voice. "I want to know what happened. I want to hear what I missed. I want to hear about Mom, Dad, and Jim. Please." Tim and Wade looked at each other, and a small smile crossed both their faces.

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Wade said. "Kim, mind if I borrow Ron for a minute?"

Kim nodded, and heard Ron mumble his assent from behind her. After kissing her gently on the neck, he carefully unwrapped himself from her. He got out of bed and crossed the room to help Wade set up what looked like some sort of projector. It had been housed in the metal suitcase he brought in with him. It looked old, but well maintained.

"Thanks, Ron, I just don't get around as well as I used to," Wade said, patting Ron on the back.

"No big, Wade. I'm used to doing the field work," Ron said, patting Wade back.

"Just like the old days, huh?"

"Got that right," Ron said, smiling. Kim couldn't help but grin as well. Ron's ability to adapt to any situation never ceased to amaze her. He walked back over to her bedside and moved to sit in the chair he'd been occupying when she woke up.

"Ron, would you mind?" Kim said, trying not to let a desperate ring enter her voice.

"No problem KP," Ron said. He climbed back onto the bed, and resuming his position there. She leaned back against him as he wrapped his arms around her again. She took one of his hands in hers and clutched it like a lifeline. His smooth, familiar palms reassured her that he was still here and she wasn't a lone stranger in this strange land.

"I think it'd just be easier to start at the beginning," Wade said.

"Sounds like a plan," Tim replied.

The projector Wade had set up suddenly hummed to life. LED's along its surface lit up with no pretext, and an image began to form above. The light swirled above the device finally resolved into a collection of 3D images.

"A hologram projector Wade? Spankin' hardware," Kim said.

Wade blushed a little and chuckled. "It's no trideo, but it gets the job done."

The screen saver-ish image projected above the projector changed without preamble. The word 'VITAS' appeared in the air.

"A little after you two went into stasis, everything began to fall apart. There'd already been some social stress, what with the Seretech and Shiawase Decision giving the big corporations more and more power."

"Ah, question, Professor Load?" Ron said.

Wade chuckled as he answered, "Yes, Ron?"

"Which is which again, ah, just in case, you know, Kim can't remember."

Wade smiled fondly as he answered Ron's question. For a moment, Kim was shaken to see that familiar grin on a strangers face. "The Seretech Decision was in result of the food riots in New York in 1999. That's the one that paved the way for corporations to employ private armies. The Shiawase Decision is when the Supreme Court granted all international corporations extraterritoriality. Before you ask Ron, it means that the property of major corporations is not considered to be under the domain of the government, like foreign embassies."

"Ah, right. Thanks, Wade," Ron said.

"Not a problem," Wade replied. "Now, that's just background to some of the other things that are going to happen later. We need to really start the story with some of what happened the year after you went under, 2010. That's when VITAS hit." Wade looked at Tim, who simply nodded and took over.

"VITAS, or more properly Viral Induced Toxic Allergy Syndrome, was a global pandemic. The most devastating ever. Before it ran its course, it claimed twenty-five percent of the global population," Tim steeled himself for a moment, and then continued. "Mom and Dad died from VITAS."

"What? How?" Shock and surprise colored Kim's voice.

"Mom was recruited by the CDC to help investigate some of the effects it was having on neural chemistry. Dad just volunteered to help," Tim's voice grew soft, and a sad smile crossed his face. "You know how Dad could be."

Kim nodded dumbly, she didn't know if she could trust her voice.

"Mom made some big strides, really big ones, into the pathology of VITAS." Tim paused for a moment, and swallowed the lump Kim could see growing in his throat. "In fact, it's probably why the second outbreak wasn't as bad.

"They both got infected during a lab accident. They died on July Eighteenth, Twenty Eleven. There's still no cure for VITAS." Old pain filled her brother's voice, and he had to pause for a moment. "VITAS was also one of the reasons you weren't revived on schedule. VITAS research put almost all other medical research on hold for several years. No one had ever seen a disease like it."

"Of course, the Awakening contributed some too," Tim finished.

Wade picked up as the hologram changed. "On December Twenty-Fourth, Twenty Eleven, the world changed forever. Magic came back, and came back big. A dragon named Ryumyo flew over Mt. Fuji, not even trying to be subtle," Wade said. As he did, the screen changed to some amateur film of a long, slender, wingless dragon soaring past a bullet train and heading towards Mt. Fuji.

"That has to be faked, right?" Kim asked, shock filling her voice.

"Not in the least, and that's just the first dragon that showed up," Wade said. "But other weird stuff happened that night." The image changed again, bringing up the heading 'Re-Education and Relocation Act.'

"That got worse, didn't it?" Ron said. Kim was unfortunately familiar with the hard edged tone his voice gained every time that particular subject came up.

"Let's just say it got different. Now you remember the 'reeducation' camps they started sending Native Americans to, right?"

"You mean concentration camps? We were protesting them a month ago," Kim said. She suddenly took note of the shift in expression on Tim and Wades faces. "Well, a month ago for us," she amended softly.

"I know," Wade said. "Anyway, the night of the Awakening, a detainee, Daniel Howling Coyote, led a walkout."

The image changed to a fuzzy security camera recording. While it was hard to make out too many of the details of what was going on due to a raging storm, some things were clear. A group of people were walking towards the camp gate, a single man clearly in the lead.

Armed soldiers could be heard, although only barely, ordering him to stop and for all of them to return to their barracks. When the soldiers realized that wasn't going to happen, they opened fire on the man in the lead.

Tracer rounds sped through the air between the live ammo, and easily converged on the target. The target, however, didn't seem to mind. The tracer rounds, and presumably bullets too, simply didn't touch him. Some stopped in midair, others went wide, and more just missed him.

"Is that even possible?" Ron asked.

"The video isn't lying," Tim said.

"Add to that ley lines and standing stones re-energizing, and a host of other weirdness. Let's just say it was pretty wild New Year's," Wade chuckled.

"In fact, it was a pretty crazy month," Tim said.

The image about the projector changed again. It showed the opening scenes of a news report. The camera focused on a pretty young woman who, according to the label in the lower part of the shot, was named Holly Brighton. After a moment, the angle shifted and encompassed two other figures. One was a young black man, with a dignified bearing and a well tailored suit. He sat comfortably in his chair, and a genuine, pleasant smile lit up his face. The other was a dragon. The dragon was coiled easily in the large room, casually taking everything in. The dragon looked like the sort she was more familiar with from her childhood, with four limbs and a pair of wings tucked neatly behind. It's green and blue scales shimmered under the artificial light. Even though the recording was nearly half a century old, Kim could almost feel the immense creature's calm presence. Something told her Ron was going to a slightly different reaction.

"That is, simply put, the coolest thing ever! Did he give an exclusive interview or something?" Ron exclaimed from behind her. He shifted a bit, getting a better view as he became more actively engaged in the history lesson.

"Come on Ron, get real. Why would a dragon give an interview, exclusive or otherwise?" Kim said.

Tim and Wade both grinned as the feed continued, the audio component finally starting in. "Good morning ladies and gentleman, I'm Holly Brighton. In this incredibly unique event, we're being granted an exclusive interview with the Great Wyrm, Dunkelzahn. With him today is his translator, John Timmons."

"Boo-yah!" Ron cheered.

"Good morning," Timmons said politely. He shuddered for a moment, and the next words uttered were several octaves lower, and seemed to reverberate though the room.

"I'm pleased to be here as well. I'm looking forward to sharing my insight into how our world has changed these last few weeks," came from his mouth.

Holly shifted uncomfortably for a moment. She looked between the other two, before finally decided to ere on the side of Dragon. "I think all of us are just as eager to have a little insight into this as well," she addressed the Dragon. "Now, I understand that you need to have a translator since dragons communicate telepathically," Holly said.

"You're quite right. Since telepathy can't be projected through a video camera, Mr. Timmons has generously agreed to serve as my Voice," Timmons body said.

"Good to know. Let's get started then. I think the whole world is looking forward to a little insight into what's been happening for the last month."

The image froze as Dunkelzahn again spoke through Timmons. "I'm looking forward to providing..."

"The Big D was as good as his word. He spent the next twelve hours answering every question Holly asked. When she didn't have anything ready to go, he just elaborated on past points, or passed along things he thought we should know," Tim said.

Kim looked at Tim and Wade carefully. The way Tim talked about him and the look of respect in their faces spoke volumes.

"That doesn't seem very, well, dragon-like. Is that the norm for real dragons? You know, help folk out and tell 'em things. Or was it a one time 'everything's gone nuts, this is a freebie' deal?" Ron asked.

"Most Dragons wouldn't do this, but Dunkelzahn was different" Wade said. "In fact, after this he hosted a talk show from time to time called 'Wyrm Talk.' He was a big fan of Meta-Humanity."

"Wait, 'Meta-Humanity?'" Kim asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"I was just coming to that," Wade said, the image changing again. "A few things contribute to what was labeled UGE, or Unexplained Genetic Expression. In Twenty Eleven, and even before, some children were born, different. The one that were born before Twenty Eleven were labeled Spike Babies, but they all grew up to be Elves and Dwarves."

"OK, so when did this become a Tolkien novel?" Kim asked.

Tim and Wade both laughed. "A little after you went to sleep, big sis," Tim said. "But Elves and Dwarves are nothing compared to the Trolls and Orks that came out of the Goblinization incident in Twenty Twenty-One."

The image changed again, this time to a spread of figures and facts. "You see, about ten percent of the global population was changed by Goblinization. After all is said and done though, Elves, Dwarves, Trolls, Orks, Humans, and other 'Metavariants' make up 'Meta-humanity.' Plain old vanilla Humans are the base line, while rest are simply mana-tied genetic expressions."

"Hold on," Ron held up a hand, begging for a moments pause. "Let me try to work this out. Now, Elves I can picture, no problem. Let me guess: they come in a variety of models that come standard in tall and graceful with a little bit of slanted eyes and pointed ears in the mix for good measure. Maybe even a touch of 'too pretty for their own good' spiced in from time to time."

Wade chuckled. "That's just about it, Ron."

"Okay, now, Ork's, I'm thinking green skin, with a healthy dose of odd teeth. Next, we add in a dash of 'kinda stocky maybe, but tall,' am I right?"

"Well, except for the green skin. Orks have about the same range of skin tones as anyone else," Wade corrected.

"Right then, good to know. So then, that would make dwarves, what, short and stocky? That and maybe a healthy dose of beards to complete the image," Ron continued.

When Tim and Wade nodded, Kim smiled. She kissed the hand still held in hers and said, "That's my man's mad geek skills."

"You know it, Kim. Now, with a little help I got Orks. I pretty much got Dwarves on the money. I think we can say with confidence I'm ready for my first Elf encounter. But what's up with Trolls?" Ron said.

"Well..." Tim started. He would have said more except for the resounding knock on the door.

It opened to reveal a towering figure in light red scrubs. He had to maneuver his massive frame through the door, ducking a bit and turning sideways to do so. A pair of curled ram horns growing from the sides of his head added a few inches to his nearly seven foot height and a pleasant smile revealed a pair of tusks jutting up from his lower jaw. Massive hands sported what looked to be deposits of spiked calcium on his knuckles, and sharp looking bulges at his elbows hinted that similar deposits were there as well, just hidden by his scrubs.

"Afternoon all," his deep voice rumbled. "I was asked by Dr. Rohr to check in on you folks and bring some lunch up, if you'd like."

Kim had a hard time not starring as everyone put in their lunch orders. To hear about people being changed, being this _different_ was one thing. Seeing it was another matter entirely. Despite that, she was able order lunch without stumbling over the words too badly. Naturally, Ron didn't seem to have a problem. Finally, everyone had their orders in.

"All right, I'll head down to the cafeteria and pick this stuff up. Oh, and my name's Max. I'm the nurse on duty at the moment. So, if you need anything, just let me know." With a pleasant nod, and a grin showing off his tusks, Max stepped out of the room.

After a moment of silence, Tim said, "That, Ron, is a Troll."

--

Max was back a few minutes later, food in tow. They'd been watching bits and pieces of Dunkelzahn's interview while waiting for their lunch.

"Hey, the Big D," Max said, as he set up a table next to Kim's hospital bed. "I'm so glad I was old enough to vote for him in the Fifty-Seven election."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Ron said, clearly a bit overwhelmed. "He ran for president?"

Max looked at him, a stunned expression crossing his face. "Yeah. He won."

"Wow, really? What was a dragon president like? How would he even fit in the oval office?" Ron mumbled to himself. His eyes went wide as he began to contemplate the possibilities.

"He was assassinated less than twelve hours after his inauguration, kinda tragic," Max said. He set up a table on the side of Kim's bed claimed by Ron, all the while giving Ron an odd look. Suddenly something dawned on the Troll. "Oh, yeah. You two are the ones they pulled out of cryo."

"Guilty as charged," Kim said.

"That makes a lot more sense," Max mumbled. "Do you folks need anything else right now?" Kim and the others shook their heads. "All right. If you need me later, just press the call button," Max pointed to the device hanging from the headboard. As he was ducking out of the room he suddenly snapped his fingers, turned and said, "Oh, and welcome to the world of tomorrow!"

The door closed, and Ron looked back at Wade and Tim. "We had a Dragon for a president?"

"Yeah, Ron, we did. Dunkelzahn was kind of a folk hero to lots of us. I know I voted for him," Tim said.

"Me too," Wade said. "Twice actually," he whispered to Kim and Ron.

The recording of Dunkelzahn's interview continued to play. Kim noticed that Tim and Wade were picking at their food, while Ron was devouring his with a voracious appetite. She found herself not far behind him. "This is all a bit surreal," Kim got out between bites.

"No arguments there," Ron said as he swallowed another mouthful of taco. He stopped for a moment, before devouring the last of the tacos he'd gotten for lunch, and sighed, "Just not the same as a nacho." Kim patted his hand.

"This isn't really what I was expecting. I mean, sure, tech changes, maybe a war, and a string of politicians who care too little. You know, normal stuff. This is just a little much," Kim said.

"It's not like there hasn't been the normal run of all those things. Those and more, in fact," Tim said. He put his fork down, and seemed to gather his thoughts. "Think of the prejudices you saw back when the only thing that was different was skin color, or religion. Now think about what people thought of people who were very suddenly not-human looking at all?"

"Nothing good I'm guessing," Kim said.

"While it _has_ gotten a bit better, it was bad for awhile," Wade said. "For some years after Goblinization, if you didn't look like a 'human,' you weren't one. To some people, like members of Policlubs like Humanis or groups like the Alamos Twenty Thousand, that still stands."

"'Humanis?'" Ron asked.

"'Alamos Twenty Thousand?'" Kim added.

"Think the Klan, but they target Elves, Dwarves, Orks, and Trolls," Wade said. "Most of the early 'Meta-Hate' came to bear on February Seventh, Twenty Thirty-Nine. The Night of Rage." The projected image changed again. As snippets of news coverage began to cycle, Wade continued. "Massive race riots broke out world wide that night. They targeted anyone 'not human' as well as their friends, their family, and even the posers and wannabes. Hundreds of thousands died. There's still a lot of resentment all over the place from those who survived."

"More riots happened that year too. The Sears Tower was bombed, and a nasty terrorist incident on St Patrick's Day that targeted Elves are just two examples," Tim said. "Eventually, the governments and other major organizations began to 'acknowledge' them as people. Things are a little bit better for Meta-human's in general, but the prejudice is still there."

"People should be better than that," Kim said.

"Yeah, they should be," Tim agreed. "Lots of us are. The problem is the ones who aren't are a lot more loud and violent."

"Yeah, I guess," Kim said.

"Anyway, that's just the social front, there's a bit to add on the political end of things too," Wade said, obviously trying to change the subject. The big thing that happened on that front was in Twenty Thirty. After being kicked around economically and by the Great Ghost Dance War, the United States and Canada decided to merge into the United Canadian and American States, UCAS.

"About the same time, a collection of southern states decided that they were still getting a raw deal from how the Civil War ended, and eventually formed the Confederation of American States, or CAS. A few years after that, California finally got its way and went independent too. They became the California Free State, or CFS."

"They were more kicked out," Tim commented.

"Hold on now, what's a Great Ghost Dance War?" Ron asked between bites of salad.

"Remember Daniel Howling Coyote?" Wade asked.

"He was the one that staged the walkout from the Camp, right?" Ron answered uncertainly.

"That's the one. In Twenty Fourteen, he announces the formation of NAN, the Native American Nation," Wade said. "Basically, he tells the US government, since it was still the US at the time, that the Native Americans are taking back the Midwest. This leads to the Great Ghost Dance War in Twenty Sixteen."

"Jim and I were still living in Middleton when it started," Tim said. "It was our last Team Possible mission. We were helping out some injured soldiers from the NAN forces that were cut off. Some of them were friends of ours that we met when we were students at Colorado State. We were just getting them to a Red Cross station. We weren't helping out combat troops, just some wounded. A group of US soldiers must have thought we were hostiles. That's when Jim died." Tim fell silent for a moment before picking right back up again. "Of course, the War ended in Twenty Seventeen, the night of the Great Ghost Dance."

Wade nodded, and the holo-image changed. In the space above the projector, four stills formed. They showed images of Mt. Hood, Ranier, St. Helens, and Adams erupting. "A little after ten-thirty in the evening of August Seventeenth, all four of these volcanoes erupted. They erupted in synch with the Great Ghost Dance. After this, the US came to the table. NAN, which by then was a coalition of nations that included not only the Native American nations, but some of the really new ones, like Tìr Tairngire, an Elven nation, was shortly thereafter recognized as sovereign nations. Denver became a Treaty City as a result. Nowadays Denver is kinda like a mix of Cold War Berlin and Casablanca."

"Casa-what?" Ron said.

"Bogart movie, black and white, 'Here's looking at you, kid.'" Kim said.

"Oh, that Casa-blank-a," Ron said.

"God, I missed you two," Wade said, a wide grin splitting his face.

"Thanks, guys," Kim said. She steadied herself for a moment, before pushing on. "So, what else?"

Tim looked at his sister, studying her intently. "This has been a lot. Are you sure you don't want to wait on the rest?"

"How much more are we talking?" She asked.

Tim thought about if for a second, and then shrugged. "Not too much more, I guess."

"Let's just power through, then," Kim said.

"Right. Since we've covered most of the political stuff that hit close to home, we could start in on the SOTA, State of the Art, end." Kim nodded and from the corner of her eye, she could see Ron do the same. "The Crash of Twenty-Nine. We should talk about that," Tim said.

"You're right. You see, Kim, Ron, the Crash Virus of Twenty Twenty-Nine is why you weren't revitalized on time," Wade said.

Wade waited a minute, looking at them both. He waited long enough to know they had nothing to add before he continued. "In February of Twenty-Nine, the Crash Virus hit. It was the worst computer virus yet. It was knocking out systems worldwide inside of a week. As soon as you got a system back online, it'd crash again. It shredded firewalls like confetti. No one could track down its source.

"To combat Crash, the US military formed a special strike force: Echo Mirage." A far away look crossed Wade's face before he continued. "We were drafted from the private sector, run through a brutal training regimen, and taught how to use the first generation cyberdecks. A new type, or maybe philosophy, of computer, that sported things like virtual interface and sensory feedback.

"First gen cyberdecks were about the size of this room and had a sensory deprivation tank as part of the interface," Wade explained. "In August, we all got in our tanks, and went into the web after the Crash Virus. Within a few minutes, four members were flatlined."

"Hold on," Kim said. "How could a computer virus kill people?"

"Because of the level of interface, of simsense, the cyberdeck provided. While it gave man-machine interface speeds that were right off the charts, it also made you open to biofeedback. That's what Crash did; it caused lethal levels of biofeedback. Made your heart seize up or caused aneurisms and strokes."

"That's insane," Ron said.

"No crazier than being trapped in a video game or cable TV," Wade said with a grin.

"Touché," Ron replied.

"Anyway, we pulled out. Refined the cyberdecks, eventually they were the size of a desktop. We went back in, did better. Wrote our own programs, modified our 'Decks, even wrote a combat AI called Mirage. Eventually, we were able to track down and wipe out Crash. 'Course, afterwards, cyberdecks became all the rage."

"The corporations saw that their best encryptions were useless against a Decker. Needless to say, the seven of us that survived were in high demand. I worked for a corporation for a while, but after a few buyouts and sellouts, I went, well, let's say 'independent.' Anyway, one of the side effects of the Crash was data loss and glitches."

"So, you're saying that the facility we were in forgot they had us? What about you guys?" Kim asked.

"It's not that they lost you, it's that they had a system error," Tim said, picking up the story. "You see, when VITAS broke out, a whole lot of people got sick; the poor and the rich. The poor just died. Some of the rich had themselves frozen, hoping for a cure. None came. So, they stayed in cryo. There was a data scramble in the facility you were stored at. When cryo-suspension was lost in one of the wings, Wildfire procedures were enacted. Everyone in that wing was incinerated. They told us you two were among those incinerated."

"We sued them, of course," Tim continued. "Not that it did much good. In the end, they were able to get off on most charges by scaring everyone with a VITAS outbreak they 'prevented.'" Her brother fell silent for a minute, than looked Kim dead in the eyes. "We buried you next to Jim, Dad, and Mom. We even got permission from Ron's parents to bury him there too."

"My folks were buried near there too. Hana had to do some fancy verbal footwork to convince the rabbi, but she was able to pull it off," Ron said, tensing slightly as he did.

"Ron, what about Hana? Is she still..." Kim asked

"Alive and kicking. I talked to her yesterday a little after I woke up. She's getting into town in a few days for Thanksgiving," Ron said.

"Good. That's good," Kim said. She felt a flood of relief, knowing at least one other person she knew was alive. "So, if everyone thought we were dead due to a filing mistake, how did we get here?"

"That question brings us to the Crash of Twenty Sixty-Four," Wade said. "A few years ago, Renraku, one of the mega corporations that make our lives so interesting, lost control of one of their AI's. That's Artificial Intelligence, Ron."

"I knew that," Ron said. "I totally knew that... just need a little clarification. You know, on what it _means_."

"A computer, or in this case a program, that can think on its own," Wade said.

"Right, that's exactly what I thought," Ron said.

"Anyway, the AI, named Deus, attempted to use the Initial Public Offering of Novatech, another mega corporation, to empower itself. This would have made it something akin to a god in the Matrix," Wade said. "Deus was stopped, but it required an attack on both the software and hardware end of the Matrix and Deus.

"A group of Shadowrunners I knew asked for my help," Wade added smugly. "They'd found out I was once a member of Echo Mirage, so they figured I'd have the know-how to take down something this big. In we went."

"Shadowrunners?" Kim asked.

"Gun's for hire," Tim said. "When someone needs dirty work done, whether it's a corporation or just the lady down the street, you hire a Runner Team. As a whole, Runners are a mixed group of social outcasts, survivors, rebels, thugs, and a few dreamers trying to buck the system."

"It was a group of the last sort that got me to go in against Deus," Wade added. "Deus was just as bad as we thought it'd be, too. A glacier of Black IC thicker than I'd ever seen before and some of the nastiest kill programs ever. That's not even going into his followers and Otaku lackeys." Wade had a faraway look, the thousand-yard stare that too many soldiers developed. "I don't remember a lot of it, but I think we had finally got down to the root commands. We began to pull those apart, getting hit by IC from every direction. That's about when someone crashed the physical nodes. The Matrix shut down. Hell, I don't know if it was us, or if it was the physical end going down, but in the end, Deus was fried. But I was one of the ones trapped there."

"Trapped? What do you mean trapped?" Ron asked.

"My mind couldn't find its way back to my body, so I was stuck. Quite frankly, it was a surreal experience. When I woke up back in my body, I was a new man. The Matrix had changed too. Weird stuff is out there. I've seen a little bit of it. Programs that seem to be alive, whispers just outside of your perception, people with the ability to compile code with just their minds." Wade looked around nervously. "When Deus was still running wild, he created what were called Otaku. They could manipulate the Matrix with their minds. But they were kids, and as they hit puberty, their abilities disappeared. However, after the Second Crash, rumors and urban myths began to come up about a new bread of Otaku. Everyone denies them, but a few of the Mega's are a bit too interested in them."

"Controlling a computer with just your mind? Is that even possible?" Kim asked.

Wade liked his lips. "That's how I've been controlling the projector. When I came out of the Matrix, I'd changed. I didn't need a computer to go online anymore. I've met a few others like me. We've taken to calling ourselves Technomancers. A bit flashy, but it gets the job done," Wade shrugged.

"That's insane, how could a computer crash cause something like that?" Kim asked.

"I still think that has something to do with the Comet," Tim said.

"What would that have to do with a Comet?" Ron asked.

"A few years before the Second Crash, Haley's Comet came by," Tim said. "When it did, the weird factor went off the charts for a little while. Again. Sometimes people changed. Natural deposits of orichalcum showed up out of nowhere. While most of the effects of the Comet stopped when it moved away from us, I still think this weird sentience in the Matrix is connected to it."

"Could be, but I still say the two were too far apart," Wade shrugged. It had the feel of something oft-discussed between the two of them. "Anyway, not too many people know about me being a Tehnomancer, so if you two could keep it quite, I'd appreciate it."

Kim nodded as Ron said, "No problem Wade. Lips, they are a-sealed!"

"Thanks guys," Wade said.

"Anyway, the Crash also had the side effect of finding you two," Tim said. "It was the efforts to get everything updated to the new standards and protocols enacted post-Crash that let us know both of you were still alive. When Renraku bought out Cryo-Dawn, they cleaned up and double checked all the old records. A physical count of the cold tanks and comparing them to hard records showed you two were still intact. However, due to legal complications, like the both of you having been declared dead and all, they were in the process of, 'covering it up.' So, we contacted a Shadowrunner team we know, and had them go in and get you both out. Now, you're here."

The holo-projector finally went dark. "Like I said, you missed a lot of the normal stuff too. There have been a few more wars, both here and abroad. The corporate shuffle has become a part of everyday life. The rich have gotten richer, and the poor, poorer, and it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon," Wade said.

"It hasn't been all bad, though," Tim added. "Thanks to magic and tech, medicine can fix a lot more than it ever could before. It's also helping to clean up the environment, when there's a profit to be had. The Matrix connects more people to each other than ever. Most people can, if nothing else, get by."

"Unless you're SINless," Wade said.

"Yeah, unless you're SINless," Tim agreed.

"Uh, 'sinless?'" Ron said.

"A SIN is a System Identification Number," Wade said. "It's basically your driver's license, social security number, credit cards, and any other number used to identify yourself rolled into one. If you don't have one, you're not a person as far as the UCAS is concerned," Wade said. "When the second Crash happened, my SIN was lost. Since you guys were considered 'dead' when UCAS put SIN's into effect, both of you are SINless as well."

"Great, from dead to not existing," Ron grumbled.

Tim laughed a little. "Well, it's not like you can't get along without a SIN. My grandkids don't have SIN's after all."

"Wait, grandkids? I have nieces or nephews?" Kim asked, suddenly sitting up straight.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I should have mentioned that sooner," Tim said. He rapped the side of his head with the end of his cane. "Guess the memory is finally going, huh?"

"Well, you remembered now, that's what counts. What's your wife like? How many kids did you have?" Kim asked. She felt excited again. Her family had done nothing but shrink since she'd woken up, now it sounded like it had grown a bit.

"Bonnie and I had two kids..." Tim started.

"Wait a second," Kim said, her eyes narrowing. "'Bonnie' who?"

Tim almost looked embarrassed. "Now, Kim, remember that a lot's changed..."

"No, you couldn't have," Kim asked, her jaw going slack.

"You and Bon-Bon got hitched?" Ron suddenly exclaimed. Kim could feel his whole body laughing at his sudden insight. Her elbow hitting his rib, exactly as hard as she'd intended it to, ended that.

"Well, like I said, a lot of things changed," Tim started, wilting a bit under Kim's glare. "We spent some time together in college." Tim began to shift uncomfortably. "She relaxed a lot after she got out of high school." Tim sat still for a moment, looking a bit taken aback. He then sat up strait and looked Kim dead in the eye. "Stop glaring at me like that, young lady," Tim finally said, seeming to realize at last that he was more then old enough now to be her grandfather.

"No," Kim said, glaring at Tim in open defiance of their new social roles. "Bonnie. Bonnie Rockwaller?"

"Why, is that a problem, K?"

Even after decades of life though, Kim knew that voice. "Bonnie," Kim all but growled.

Kim looked across the room. Bonnie was being wheeled carefully into the room by a young man, about as old as Kim and Ron looked. He had a medium build, and Kim noted that he walked with well practiced silence. The red hair that reached nearly halfway down his back resembled Kim's in shade and texture. High cheekbones and a pointed chin showed some of his grandmother's features, she was sure, but the shape and tint of the blues eyes seemed to defy recognition.

The young lady that followed him was loaded down with shopping bags and shared some of the young man's features. Her hair was the same color as his, but cut to only a little longer then shoulder length and hung loose. Her eyes were green, but a darker shade then Kim's own. Her posture was so much like Bonnie's, it was disturbing.

A third figure came in behind them. Loaded down with bags and boxes, he still moved easily into the room. A little shorter then average, with the build of a lean weight lifter, his short cut bleached hair stood out starkly from his dark skin tone. His eyes were slightly disturbing hemispheres of metallic cobalt through which bolts of red lightning would occasionally streak.

Bonnie sat up straight in the wheel chair, looking Kim dead in the eye. Her hair had retained some of its color, but was liberally shot through with gray. While she had certainly gained a little weight, she still looked relatively fit and healthy. Her eyes were clear and focused, but crow's feet and smile lines now bordered them. However, where Kim had expected to see her long ago rival's smug grin, she instead was met with an expression full of bemusement.

"Don't think I didn't hear how you told her, Timmy. You're as bad as Hana with breaking news to people. Any more last minute and I'd have to tell her myself," Bonnie said.

The boy wheeled her over next to Tim, who continued to look a bit embarrassed. "I didn't know quite how to bring it up, dear," Tim said.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess if you want something done right." She again met Kim dead in the eye, and smiled at her; a genuine, honest smile. "Hi Kim, Ron, I bring peace offerings," she swept her hand over the bags that had been brought in behind her.

"You what?" Kim tried hard to keep the shock out of her voice.

"I figured you'd probably want some new clothes to wear. Unless of course, you plan on starting a new backless fashion trend with hospital wear?" Bonnie said, grinning. While Kim continued to gape, Bonnie continued with a laugh. "That's what I thought. And you know I've always had better fashion sense then you, so at least you'll start out on the _très chic_." Tim reached out and took her hand in his, their fingers weaving together from old habit.

The two men that had accompanied Bonnie into the room were still sorting the bags under the young woman's watchful eye. "Ready Nana Bon," she suddenly declared.

"Wait a sec, 'Nana Bon?'" Kim asked, as she elbowed Ron in the side to still his laughter.

"Now who's being as bad as Hana?" Wade asked.

For a moment, the old Bonnie was there. The glare that she favored Wade with would have stilled traffic in the halls of Middleton. It was the sort of glare that would have caused even the toughest of the detention hall regulars to reevaluate their past few actions. Wade just laughed, and winked at Kim.

"Watch it, or I'll tell Helen you've been showing off," Bonnie whispered at him.

Wade just grinned sheepishly in response. "Come on now, no need for all of that."

Kim was surprised to see a grin tug at the corner of Bonnie's glare. "I'll let it slip this time," Bonnie said, flipping her hair as she turned back, smiling, to Kim. "Now, like I was going to do before I was so rudely interrupted, some introductions. Kim and Ron, I'd like you to meet our grandkids, Lynn and Glynn Possible. Lynn, Glynn, meet your great Aunt Kim, and her boyfriend Ron, Aunt Hana's brother."

"Also," Wade added, "That handsome young man, turn your damn eyes off boy, you look silly, is my grandson Nate."

Lynn and Glynn smiled. "Hi, Auntie Kim. Hi, Ron. We've heard a lot about you," Lynn said.

"Yeah, nice to meet you, Aunt Kim. Nice to meet you, Ron," Glynn said, a look of something bordering on awe plain on his face. "This is, well, kinda an honor. We grew up on stories of Team Possible."

"Yeah, this is really surreal," Nate said. His eyes had changed from the metallic blue, to a more normal configuration of whites, pupils, and iris. "It's an honor to meet you both."

"Ah, well, thanks guys," Kim said, a bit taken aback.

"We had two kids ourselves," Tim added. "Our son Jimmy, Lynn and Glynn's dad, will be in town for Thanksgiving. Ginny, our daughter, is in China negotiating a deal right now, so we don't know if she'll be back in town by Thanksgiving. I know they're both looking forward to meeting you in person."

"So your daughter is a corporate shark?" Ron asked.

"Mommies little girl," Bonnie said proudly. "For now at least, enough with the genealogy," she continued without missing a beat.

"She won't spare you come Thanksgiving," Wade muttered.

If Bonnie had heard Wade, she simply ignored him and barreled on. "I think it's time to show you what we brought. Lynn?"

"Nana Bon and I have successfully put together the start of a wardrobe for the both of you," Lynn happily declared. "From jackets," at this Nate held up some bags. "To something a bit more, intimate..." at which a slightly blushing Glynn held up one of the much smaller bags.

"We've also covered those areas in between," Bonnie added happily. "Ron was easy to shop for."

"Surprisingly easy," Lynn said, a bit aghast.

"A combination of cargo pants, some jeans, a few pairs of slacks, and an array of simple t-shirts, sweaters, and such," Bonnie continued, as Sim indicated a small assortment of shopping bags and clothing boxes. "We also included a few nice suits, some dress shirts, and a dozen ties."

"Apparently," Tim said, "you can never have enough ties."

"Shush," Bonnie chided.

"Booyah! Non-ventilated clothes!" Ron said as he slipped out of the bed and went to the indicated parcels.

"For Auntie Kim, we picked out a mix of some skirts, slacks, nice blouses in a mix of cotton, hemp, some of the more _wiz_ synthetics, and even a few in silk," Lynn said. "While it probably won't do much good now, we snagged some summer dresses, a few dresses for fancier occasions, and even what Nana assures me are 'mission clothes,'" Lynn said, as she made a grandiose swing of her arm past the rest of the packages.

"Wow guys, I'm speechless," Kim said, her eyes wide. "This is so, well, not what I expected. I..." anything else Kim was going to say was cut off by Ron's excited exclamation.

"Hey, Kim, check it out! The 'Mountain Dragons,'" Ron said as he held up what resembled a football jersey. The colors were nearly identical to the ones from the jersey he wore in high school. "How bad ass is this?"

"That's awesome, Ron," Kim said, forcing a smile. It had taken a lot of work to get him to give up the other. A _lot_ of work.

"Nana Bon made sure we got him that jersey, guess it was a good call. Although, I don't know why he'd get so excited about the Dragon's away colors, much less Urban Brawl. Nana seemed to think it was pretty funny though."

"I bet," Kim said, glaring at Bonnie.

For her part, Bonnie shot back a smug little smile. "Hey, I get to have my little fun too, don't I, K?"

Ron threw the jersey over his shoulder, picked up some of the other offered clothes, and headed to the bathroom. "I'm gonna get into some real clothes, KP."

Over the grinding of her teeth, Kim heard Nate whisper to Lynn: "So, did we miss something?"

Lynn simply shrugged, and went back to sorting out the last of the bags.

"Just like old times, right Kim?" Bonnie said.

"Yeah, just about," Kim muttered.

--

Despite the initial stress, and the prank with the jersey, Kim and Bonnie quickly came to a state of what appeared to be mutual acceptance. For the last two hours, they chatted about this and that. The topics ranged through what Ron had long since determined to be some of Kim's 'standard' light conversation topics: fashion, world politics, family, and chick flicks. He had only paid attention here and there. Personally, he had expected Kim to stay sore on the jersey thing a bit longer, but was glad to see she hadn't. He wondered how long he had until it went 'missing.'

"Last thing I did was have what balance was left in your trust fund transferred someplace safe," Wade said, interrupting Ron's observations of the girls.

Ron shifted, turning his attention back to Wade. "Badical! Let me guess, a little of your Matrix magic?"

"Actually, Ron, yeah, it was. And it was one of my finer hacks, if I do say so myself. I've transferred it to some orbital accounts, so it's safe and sound. It should be enough for you and Kim to live off of while you figure out what to do next."

"Yeah, what do we do next? Now, that, sir, is an excellent question," Ron said.

"I can't even begin to imagine what this is like for you," Glynn chimed in. The normally quiet young man had seemed more than happy to just watch most of the family reunion.

"We went in knowing that things would be different when we woke up. Of course, we didn't think they'd be quite this different, but I think we can manage," Ron said, a casual shrug punctuating the statement.

"If anyone can manage, it'll be the two of you," Wade said, patting Ron on the arm.

The conversations in the room were cut off by Max's version of a soft knock. The door opened before the echoes stopped.

"Sorry folks, but Doc said that visiting hours are over," Max said, leaning into the room.

"No problem Max," Tim said, carefully rising to his feet. "I think Kim and Ron need a little time to digest all of this anyway."

Ron watched as Tim and Kim embraced. Both suddenly looked to be on the verge of tears, but neither of them willing to let them fall if he knew his Possibles. Kim and Bonnie shared an awkweird, there really was no other way to describe it, hug next. Glynn just smiled and nodded at both Kim and he before positioning himself behind Bonnie's chair.

"Nice to see you awake, Auntie Kim," Lynn said, as she went to open the door for the group. "And you too, Ron." Ron hoped that Kim missed the sly smile and wink that accompanied that one.

"I'm working on some custom commlinks for both of you. I should have them put together and programmed in a few days. Until then, play around with those stock ones they picked up for you. Get used to the weird wireless world of the Matrix," Wade grinned.

"Sounds spankin,' Wade, thanks," Kim said.

The visitors funneled out under Max's watchful eye. After the last of the group had cleared the door, the Troll looked over at the two of them.

"Now, if you two need anything, you just ask. We have a trid around here somewhere, and I'd be happy to bring it up if you two want something to watch."

"Thanks, but I think we're good for now," Kim said before Ron could voice his opinion.

"All right. I'll bring up some food in a few hours. I think I can sneak you some pizza before my shift ends," he said.

"Awesome, my man!" Ron said, this time beating Kim to the punch.

Max nodded, and closed the door. As it closed, it seemed to cut off their room from everything outside. Sound seemed to have left with the Troll nurse and Kim's family and for a moment, the silence was complete. Finally, a pained choking gasp forced, that silence from the room.

He knew she'd been holding back the tears for awhile now.

"They're all gone Ron. Everyone," Kim's words came between gut wrenching sobs.

Ron blinked tears from his own eyes as he walked back to the bed where Kim had curled in on herself. Her whole body was trembling as the tears finally came. He climbed into the cramped hospital bed and lay down next to her. As he wrapped his arms around her, he could feel her begin to shake that much more, finally letting go. He tried to hold back his own tears, tears that had been threatening since he'd woken up the day before.

"Oh God, Ron, oh God. How?"

"I don't know, honey," Ron said. As he allowed the enormity of the situation to finally settle, he realized couldn't hold them back anymore either. "I don't know."

To be continued...

I had really hoped to get this out about three or so weeks ago. However, real life got in the way. A combination of having two weekends totally consumed by classes I needed to take my potential new job, then a bout of the flu took me out of commission for almost the next two weekends and the week between. After that, I finally got back into the swing of things, and finished off the changes I needed to. By the way, this is my original take on chapter 3, and about half of my original chapter 4. Cyberwraith 9 pointed out that chapter 4 seemed to drag a bit, as it was originally a bit more exposition. So, I dumped that part into chapter 3 and began the rewrite of 4.

Of course, it wasn't as easy as just cut and paste (although that was certainly involved!). I also had to redo some parts, add some stuff in, take some stuff out, and streamline it. Chapter 4 is nearly ready to go to prereaders, so that might be out in about 3 weeks. It'd be nice at least. Of course, that depends on how much time real life chews up over the next few days. It might be a lot.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed. I know that it's nothing more then a history lesson, but I tired to spice it up as best as I could. And how you like Bonnie being married to Tim? Huh? How's that for weird. I also promise that next chapter won't break the 10,000 word mark. Maybe. Okay, so I'm wordy.

Last but not least, a big _THANKS_ goes out to my wonderful prereaders once again: "Font Size 26" (aka Pete!), Teh Zuh, and Your Queen of Fanfiction and mine: Cyberwraith9. Big round of applause for all of them. Also, to pimp C9's stuff, you should check out his new fic _Harry Potter and the White Wizard_. Not only did I help a little in coming up with the idea, its got Dresden in it! Hells yes!

Until next time: Water and Shade all!


	4. Choices

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Kim Possible. Yes, the series has ended. Yes, I did see the last episode and it kicked a lot of ass. Go Mystical Monkey Powers. Alas, I do not own Shadowrun either. However, 4th Edition SR kicks a lot of ass. You should all really look into it. Give the nice folks at Catalyst some love.

Kim Possible in:

Born to Shadowrun

Chapter 4: Choices

Date: November 17th, 2069, nearly the 18th

Location: Seattle Metroplex, Downtown area, UCAS

"All things considered, I thought a future hospital would be a lot harder to sneak out of," Ron commented as they got out of the cab.

"Tell me about it. That was almost too easy." Kim accepted Ron's help getting out of the cab. While the short skirt of her black dress wouldn't have made it impossible to get out, it was nice to have the help. The thinly heeled shoes held to her feet with straps that traveled halfway up her calf might have made it a bit more awkward without it though. "I also have to remember to thank Wade for leaving us some nuyen," Kim added, after she paid the driver.

"It would be a whole lot harder to have a night on the town without it," Ron agreed. After a moment outside the cab, he took off his dress jacket, slinging it over his arm. He was attired in some of the nicer clothes that Lynn and Bonnie had provided. Well cut slacks in a dark gray and dark red silk shirt. The night had turned out to be a bit warmer than he thought it would be, making the jacket unnecessary. "You sure you're up for this, KP?"

"Ron, I'm feeling great. Better than great, even. Now, in case that, 'spirit' or whatever it was, decided to come back, I want to get out and stretch my legs. See how much has changed for my self," Kim said, as she looked at the strange city looming above them. "Besides, I'm suffering from some serious cabin fever," she said. She turned around, stepping into Ron's arms, which gladly took her in. As she leaned up and gently kissed him, she whispered, "Anyway, what should _you_ be more concerned with?" She trailed more kisses along his jaw, finally ended at his ear. She moved to nuzzling his neck. "The weird instructions of my magic doctor, or keeping you girlfriend happy?" she whispered and kissed into his ear.

"Kim, I love you, and that is even worse then the puppy dog pout," Ron sighed happily.

"I know," she said. She slowly shifted in his embrace, repositioning herself against him, so that Ron could still wrap an arm around her and they both could comfortably walk side by side.

"Besides, I'm overdue for a night out on the town with my boyfriend," she added.

Ron laughed and the two of them began to walk down the street. "Consider all previous objections withdrawn then, milady."

As they continued down the street, Ron began to really look at the new world they'd woken into. Strangely shaped dark towers rose around them, making an alien skyline. Any stars that might have been visible were muted by the light pollution from the city, and a haze of smog higher up. Small machines, "drones" Wade had called them, were flitting about. Glowing signs and advertisements hovered in the air. Overhead, some sort of hovercraft zipped by, light's blazing, "Doc Wagon" scrawled in bright red down its side.

"Sure hasn't changed much, has it?" Ron commented.

"I think there's a bit less smog since last time we were here, actually," Kim replied, leaning her head on Ron's shoulder as they walked.

"Oh yeah, that was Killigan, right?" Ron said as he continued looking at the buildings around them.

"Third anniversary," Kim responded.

"Then we had dinner at the Space Needle. Great night. Decent food," Ron grinned.

A group of teens who were sporting the black on gray fashion were eyed up by a group of adults walking the other direction wearing the same color scheme, on a different style of clothes. Ron chuckled to himself. _Those wacky kids and their edgy fashion!_

Of course, no sooner had the thought crossed his mind, then another group turned the corner. Sculpted, tattooed, and artistically scarred bodies adorned with clothing that ranged from glowing to all but transparent and in colors that ran in themes that were highlighted by being bright, loud, or both with the hair to match in more cases then not. They were a stark contrast to everyone else on the street. And they reveled in it.

Kim's pinch snapped his attention away from the group. The glare she spared him lacked any real heat. "Head in the game, Ron," she said. "Lynn mentioned that the best way to find someplace 'wiz' was to turn off your spam filters."

"Oh, right," Ron answered. He fiddled with his commlink for a few seconds. He must have done something right with the pesky little thing, because he was suddenly overwhelmed by ads offering him the '_The Best in Bodysculpts: Look Like You've Always Felt You Should_' and '_Stuffer Shack! Leave Stuffed!_' As cluttered as his view was getting, it looked like it got worse if they took a left at the corner.

"So, left?" Kim winced, overwhelmed by the ads as well.

"Left it is," Ron said. He began to try to adjust the setting on the spam filters back down. He only ended up making it worse.

--

After helping Ron reset his commlink to weed out the ads, they settled back into a steadier pace. Apparently, several monkey heavy ad campaigns had attached themselves to his profile. While his 'monkey phobia' wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be, it was still evident. _And funny at times_, Kim admitted to herself, chuckling softly.

"Nothing funny about monkeys, KP," Ron mumbled.

"No, baby, nothing at all," she kissed him on the cheek.

They passed more groups of teens and twenty-somethings as they strolled down through Downtown Seattle. It became quickly apparent that fashion had evolved into two major camps: _dreary_ and _neon_.

As they waited for some traffic to clear at a corner near a club catering to the "neon" set, Kim began to register some of the bold looks coming her way from the club goers lounging next to several parked cars. One in particular, the queen bee of the group, drew her attention. Her hair was a flowing field of bright orange cascading past exposed skin down to nearly her waist. A bodice made of what looked like red tinted, translucent leather gripped her lithe frame. A miniskirt of the same material exposed long legs and black knee-high boots. Her skin was covered in what must have been some of the most elaborate tattoo work Kim had ever seen.

Kim looked on in amazement as she realized that some of the tattoos were moving, writhing in sinuous patterns across her flesh. Even more startling was that some of what she thought were tattoos weren't. Some of the elaborate shapes looked like they were careful scar work, while others looked like they might be complex arrangements of metal in a tribal pattern just below the surface.

At the sly look from the girl she was examining, Kim suddenly realized that she'd been staring. She made eye contact with the heavily decorated girl; Kim realized she'd been staring back. The other girl simply licked her lips seductively and brushed her hands through her hair then down her body. As she did, the orange hair changed to glowing pink, revealing the one other place on her body that still had a brush of hair as well. Kim smiled, a bit embarrassed, feeling her face flush as the girl and her friends laughed. A moment later she started to receive a few text messages.

"Ahh, Kim," Ron nervously muttered.

"Yeah, Ron," Kim said, wondering how she was going to reply to any of it. She didn't know how to operate her commlink enough to even say 'not interested.'

"I think someone from that group over there," said with a small nod, "is hitting on me."

Kim blinked on spun on him. "Who? Pink Hair?" she hissed.

"Ah, no. I think it's the Ork," Ron said with a nervous chuckle.

Kim looked back at the group of club goers along with Ron. Sure enough, an Ork in tight leather pants and elaborate scar work across his chest was eyeing up Ron. Kim was able to stifle her giggle.

"Come on Kim, how is this funny? I mean, I've never been hit on by a _guy_ before, or an Ork."

"It's not that, Ron, it's just the Girl with Pink Hair is asking if we'd like to come along to a little orgy they had planned. Hold on, let me forward you the message," Kim fiddled with her commlink for a moment, finally figuring out how it worked.

Ron's eyes quickly widened at the elaborate and interesting comments that his girlfriend had been getting. She suddenly felt Ron's arm wrap tightly around her. The club goers just laughed.

Finally, the group got up and strolled over to Kim and Ron, led by Pink Hair. They stopped a few comfortable feet away. "Hi, I'm Mindy," the Pink Haired girl said warmly. "And it looks like you two are from out of town."

"That obvious?" Kim asked. "I guess you could say we just kinda ended up here in the last few days. It looks like we're going to be staying too."

"Welcome to Seattle," Mindy said, stepping forward the last few feet and shaking hands with Kim and Ron in turn. "We were just about to head over to the _Inferno_, you two like to join us? I promise, we'll hold off on propositioning you for a little while," she said with a smile.

"At least until you have a few drinks in you," said another girl with deep blue skin, more moving tattoos, and green hair.

"Thanks, but we're trying to get a feel for the city, and don't want to stay out too late," Kim said.

"That's wiz. Listen, you want some guides around the 'Plex, let me know. We'd be happy to show you two... _around_," Mindy grinned devilishly.

After a few more minutes of pleasantries, the group of brightly dressed night-lifers left. As their vehicles turned around a corner and out of site, Ron turned to Kim. "So, was she coming on to you, or us?"

"I think us," Kim answered, a little dumbfounded.

"Right. So, think Fox is a hardcore porn channel yet?"

Kim rolled her eyes. "I don't even want to think about it," she laughed as the two finally crossed the street.

Kim continued to look around in amazement at the world she and Ron had woken into. _It's not just the fashion either_, she thought as a small robot hovered over a crowd of Ork teens. She saw a Troll, a little bigger then Max, in a well cut business suit, speaking rapid Japanese with a group of equally well dressed Japanese businessmen. An elf couple strolled arm in arm down the street, talking animatedly in a language Kim didn't think she'd ever heard before.

"Man, I really did have Elves on the nose, didn't I," Ron muttered. As the two Elves in question walked by and contemptuously turned their nose up at a ragged looking Dwarf pushing a shopping cart full of her worldly possessions down the street. She could feel Ron's anger as he glared at the two Elves. "Be right back, Kim."

Ron ran across the street, dodging a few cars as he went, and stepped up next to the stopped Dwarf. While she shied back at first, Ron was able to calm her down with a few quick words. After a moment, she laughed, and it looked like she said something rude to the Elves, judging from their reaction. Ron joined her in laughter for a moment, and then handed her the jacket he'd been wearing. She tried to protest, but Ron just held up his hands, and with a smile shook his head. Finally, the Dwarf smiled and took the offered jacket. As Ron crossed the street back to where Kim was, she couldn't help but notice the icy glares from the two elves. Ron simply smiled, and casually threw them the bird, before rejoining Kim.

"Feel better now?"

"Yeah, much. And I met a Dwarf," Ron said as he held out his arm.

Kim smiled at him. "Have I told you just how badical you are lately?"

"Maybe not for a few decades," Ron said after a moment's consideration.

"Well, you are," Kim said.

"Help!"

The scream pierced the night, and Kim felt herself coil into readiness. She grinned as adrenaline suddenly flooded her system.

"Never a moment's peace," Ron muttered.

"Would we have it any other way?" Kim asked. "Let's go."

Kim sprinted across the street and down the alley the scream came from. Ron was only a few steps behind her as she skidded to a halt. Being told that magic existed was one thing. Seeing it first hand was another.

--

Ron skidded to a stop behind Kim at the mouth of the ally. "Kim, wha..." he started to ask. He didn't finish when he too saw the source of the screams and the cause.

About thirty feet in, a man in filthy business clothes was huddled against a dumpster. His fearful screams were directed at the form looming over him.

"What the fuck is that?" Kim said.

What stood over the business man was nothing even remotely human, or Metahuman for that matter. As it raised one of its limbs to once again strike the terrified man, Ron saw a rainbow shimmer play across its watery green base. Ron thought for a moment that it would be how Lake Wannaweep might look if you'd spilled oil on its polluted water. In fact, its whole body was made up of the same stuff.

The man screamed again as the watery thing's 'fist' slammed into his ribs. It snapped Kim and Ron out of their daze.

"Head in the game, Ron?" Kim asked.

"Right behind you, KP," he answered.

As one, they ran into the alley to attack the monster. While Ron felt his own fist pass through it, Kim's struck home. As the things staggered back, Kim stepped between it and the business man.

"That was weird," Ron muttered.

"We'll figure it out later, Ron," Kim said, fully into Mission Mode now.

"Right," Ron agreed. As Kim began to punch and kick at the oily green beast, Ron crouched down next to the beaten man. "You ok?"

"I think my ribs are broken," he muttered.

"Try not to move, we're here to help," Ron said, nodding.

"Are you CorpSec?" he asked, startled.

"Nope," Ron said. He stood and moved to join Kim.

"Is he okay?" she asked.

"Will be," Ron replied.

"Good. Let's go," Kim charged in, launching a series of swift kicks and punches as she went.

Ron followed up, trying to call up his monkey powers to no avail. While some of his blows made contact, they didn't do so consistently. "This vexes me a great deal," Ron muttered as yet another punch proved infective.

"New rules to freak fighting, I guess," Kim said as she blocked some of the creature's blows. "I don't think I'm doing much to hurt it either."

Even as she said it, the thing took a step back. Standing in a puddle of stagnant water, it regained some of the cohesion that Kim and Ron's attacks had stripped off it.

"That is so not fair," Ron said.

"Ron, quiet," Kim said, looking around.

"What, I don't think its feelings are going to be hurt," Ron grumbled.

"No, listen. Someone's chanting."

Ron stopped, and tipped his head to the side, finally picking up on it as well.

"Remote control?" Ron grinned.

"Be my guess," Kim grinned back.

Nothing else was needed. With a war cry of "Booyah!" Ron leapt over the dumpster towards the chanting, while Kim unleashed several days worth of bed rest and pent up emotional pain on the monster.

Ron ran nimbly along the top of the dumpster. As he came to the other end, he finally spotted the source of the clumsy Latin that was filling the alley.

"Dude, your enunciation is horrible. 'Water' you think you're doing?" Ron quipped, as he jumped off the dumpster, landing smoothly in front of him.

The person, the _magician_, doing the chanting didn't look like he was out of his teens yet, and reeked of cheap booze, cigarettes, and being too long separated from soap and water. He took a step back as Ron dropped into a fighting stance in front of him. The chanting trailed off, to be replaced by a startled, "Wait, what? That's weak."

Any other critique he might have offered was cut off by the several rapid punches and a kick Ron delivered to his head. "Hey, they can't all be comedy gold," Ron growled at the unconscious man at his feet.

"Damn, he's right. I just know there's a joke somewhere in there," Ron muttered as he ran back to where Kim was. He arrived just in time to see her foe reduced to a puddle.

"All done?" he asked.

"Gross, but finished. You?" Kim answered.

"Oh yeah! The Ronster took out the trash!"

They grinned at each other for a moment, before turning to the beaten businessman.

"Sir, are you all right?" Kim asked him. She and Ron walked over to him. He was still huddled against the dumpster.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I am. Probably have a few broken ribs, but I'll live," he answered through clenched teeth.

"Want us to call you an ambulance?" Ron asked.

"No thanks, I just got a hold of Lone Star, they should have a squad here any second now." He leaned forward in a futile attempt to see around the dumpster. He only hissed in pain and leaned back again. "Is that wiz ganger still around?"

"Huh?" Ron eloquently countered.

"The kid that summoned that spirit?" the other man elaborated.

"Oh, him? He's out cold, and should stay that way for a few hours if I know my unconscious states. And I do," Ron cheerily answered.

The businessman sighed in relief, and leaned back against the wall. "Thank the spirits."

As the sound of sirens became more distinct, Kim nudged Ron, and nodded towards the end of the alley. "I don't think we want to answer too many questions right now, do you?"

"An excellent point, but are you sure we can just leave him?" Ron replied.

"SINless, right?" the man asked. Ron and Kim both nodded. "I kind of thought so. I should be okay. I owe you two."

"No big," Kim said, smiling radiantly. "It's what we do. Let's go, Ron." Kim began a brisk walk towards the street.

"Take care, dude!" Ron said, as he sprinted to catch up to his girl.

"You too, omae!" Ron heard him say as he rounded the corner. He took Kim's arm in his, and the two calmly left the scene. Moments later, several cars bearing flashing lights and 'Lone Star' logos emblazoned on their doors screeched to a halt outside the ally. They disgorged several heavily armed officers who rushed into the ally proper, barking commands.

"That would not have been fun," Ron said softly as they rounded a corner and lost sight of the commotion.

"No, that probably wouldn't have. It did feel good to get in a little exercise, though," Kim added, also in a hushed voice.

"I just wish I would have been able to _hit_ the damn thing," Ron muttered.

"Yeah, that was weird. Maybe Wade will know what's going on. For now," Kim said as she once again snuggled up to Ron, "I think it's time to get back to the hospital."

"Might not be a bad idea. I'm kinda pooped from all this walking around and freak fighting," Ron said, pulling Kim closer.

"Better not be too tired, I have some plans for you when we get back," Kim playfully.

Ron looked at his girlfriend's lusty expression, and knew just what she had in mind.

"Booyah!"

--

Date: November 20th, 2069

Location: St. Samuel's Private Clinic, Seattle, UCAS

"How we doing today, guys?" Max said, as he wheeled the cart with breakfast into the room.

"Doing great, Max," Kim said brightly.

"As your doctor, I'd have to agree with that statement, Miss Possible," Dr. Rohr said. "Your lab results are, quite frankly, great. You're recovering much faster than I'd have guessed too. Even little Rufus is doing great," she said with a nod towards the mole rat in question.

"All OK!" Rufus exclaimed. Rufus had taken a bit more effort to get back on his feet after the cryostasis was reversed. When he had been wheeled triumphantly into the hospital room the day before, Ron had barely been able to contain his excitement. After that, the three of them had spent the day with Wade and Tim, catching up a little more on random family stuff they'd missed out on over the years.

"Thanks, doc," Kim said with a grin.

"Hey, Max my man, how's it goin'?" Ron asked cheerily.

"Skraa, chummer, I'm doing good," Max responded cheerfully. "I see they're only going to have to fix up one bed again today," he finished with a wink.

Kim felt herself blush a bit, but Ron just shrugged. "What can I say? I have all kinds of hez."

Kim was startled to see her doctor stifle a quick giggle before she shot both her and Ron a measured look. Max just let out a deep hoot of laughter as he set their food on the table in the room. Ron quickly took a seat and laid into the meal.

"Say no more," Max said.

"Thank you Max, but I need to talk to them for a minute," the doctor said.

"No problem, Dr. Rohr," Max said, still grinning. "'Hez.' I like them kids..." he mumbled as he maneuvered himself out the door.

Dr. Rohr just shook her head, and turned back to her patients. "Well, I guess I don't need to ask how you're both feeling, do I?" she said, grinning. Kim and Ron shook their heads. "Right. Now, Ron, how about you? Besides from being, 'hez,'" again that word, and again that same sly look from her doctor, "how do you feel?"

"I'm feeling great Dr. R!" Ron replied cheerily. Ron had finished off his meal, and passed a plate to Kim now that the doctor was done with her. Kim took the offered plate and eagerly dug in.

"That's good. Have you noticed any lingering side effects? Do you feel dizzy when you exert yourself? Are you having problems walking around?"

"Not really. I get a little tired after I've been up and moving for a bit, is about all."

"Hmm, well, I recommend that the both of you get full nights rest until you're both a little more recovered." The doctor caught Kim's eye and winked. "Especially avoid sneaking out to roam the city, okay?"

Kim almost choked on her food, and Ron began to laugh nervously. "I knew it was too easy," he muttered.

"Surveillance has come a long way in the last seventy years," Dr. Rohr grinned. "All in all, the two of you are coming along well. At this point, unless something comes up, I think we'll be able to discharge you today as planned. You'll be able to spend Thanksgiving with your families that way," Dr. Rohr said with a smile. "That should help you get some calories back into your systems."

"Spank'n doc," Kim said with a grin.

"Just try not to burn through them all, okay?"

"No problem-o Dr. R!" Ron said.

As the door swung closed, Kim turned to Ron and fixed him with a steely glare. "Okay, spill. What does 'hez' mean?"

Before Ron could stammer out an answer, the door again swung open. A hurricane named Lynn Possible roared into the room, dragging in its wake Nate Load and Glynn Possible like flotsam.

"Morning Auntie Kim! Morning Ron!" Lynn said cheerily as she swept into the room. Today she was decked out in skin tight leather pants, a creamy red silk blouse that clung to her in ways that left little to the imagination, and a long fashionable coat. The ensemble was a big change from the more conservative jeans and sweater from a few days ago. Kim wondered for a moment if Tim knew his granddaughter dressed like this. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, than she felt her calendar age for the first time since waking up. She shuddered a bit. Glynn and Nate on the other hand were much more conservatively dressed. Shirts and pants in dark shades to match their own black leather trench coats. Although, today Nate's eyes were serpent like slits in dark purples and almost sickly yellows.

"Morning, guys," Ron said. He winked at Kim, whispering "Me to know," and then announced to the rest "But if you'll excuse me, I need to use the little boy's room."

After Ron made a bee line to the small bathroom attached to their room, Lynn took the opportunity to sit down next to Kim. "I've been meaning to say that it's nice to see you thawed Auntie Kim," she said, smiling warmly.

"Thawed?" Kim said.

"Well, yeah. Didn't Poppy Tim tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"We're the Runners that got you and Ron out," Lynn said, indicating herself and the two men. "I can't believe he didn't tell you."

"Your Poppy forgot a few little things here and there," Kim said, a hint of sarcasm creeping into her voice.

"Yeah, Poppy can be like that," Lynn said with a laugh.

Lynn was quiet for a moment as Kim got up and began to pack her the clothes that Bonnie and Lynn had brought a few days ago. Since there wasn't much actual luggage, most of it just went back into bags and boxes. Kim found she didn't care though; the comfort of real clothes for the last few days was well worth the minor inconvenience of lugging around a bunch of shopping bags now.

"So, you guys gonna get back into it?" Lynn suddenly asked.

Kim looked around the suddenly silent room.

"What do you mean, 'back in?'" Kim asked.

"You know, Shadowrunning," Glynn said as he and Nate exchanged grins. "All three of us grew up on stories of the first Team Possible. Hell, it's why we call ourselves Team Possible Three Point Zero. We just want to know if you guys are gonna get back into the 'family business.'"

"Well, Ron and I really hadn't discussed it yet," Kim said. "Besides, we didn't exactly do what you guys do."

"How so?" Nate said. "Grandpa Wade fixed you up with jobs and equipment. You did work that most corporations and normal folk just didn't have the skills or gear to do. Sure, you did it _pro bono_, but it was still Running."

"Well, I guess," Kim said. From that perspective, they had a point.

"Sure. Best job in the world for the SINless! 'Run fast, die hard!'" Lynn added excitedly.

"What's the best for the who now?" Ron said, stepping out of the bathroom. He put on that damn jersey again.

Kim sighed, silently cursing Bonnie. At least this one wasn't ratty yet. "I'm going to get dressed, guys."

--

"Deniable Assets, huh? That doesn't exactly sound like my idea of a dream job," Ron said.

"That's just how the megas carry the expense of Shadowrunners on their balance sheets. They all come to us at some point or another, big to small," Glynn said quietly. "So to keep everything 'above board' they have to say where that money is going somehow. Hence: Deniable Assets."

"Sounds grim," Kim said. Dr. Rohr had just granted the both of them their medical releases, and she and Ron were carrying the various bags that contained their new clothes out to Nat's van.

"It can be, not many in this profession retire out. But those that do, they leave rich and young," Nate said.

"Right, sounds grim," Kim repeated.

"Don't be like that. Besides, our team could use a street sam or two and another sneak," Lynn said.

"What do you mean?" Ron said.

"Well, when it comes to gunplay, that's where I come in. Not that it does very often, luckily. But when it does I'm your girl," Lynn said. "I'm also pretty decent at sneaking around."

"Yeah, sure you are," Glynn said with a soft laugh. Lynn stuck her tongue out at him. "_My_ thing is the breaking and entering," Glynn said. "I deal a little in tactical explosives too."

"Me, I have the safe job," Nate said. "I'm the driver. That and I know people."

"'Know people?' How's that useful?" Ron asked.

"Do you need to sell off some pay data, find a way to spend your Friday night, or need to get some new fake SINs? If you do, I know who to talk to. Like they say, 'knowledge is profit.'"

"I could almost hear Wade saying that," Kim said, grinning.

Kim didn't hear his response though. It was lost in Ron's scream of "Down!"

Years of freak fighting and the faith she had in her friends was all she needed to grab Lynn and pull her behind a nearby support beam. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Ron pull Glynn and Nate down behind a nurse's desk.

A half moment later, they would have all been riddled with bullets from down the hall they had just left.

"Shit! The hell is that?" Nate yelled.

Lynn poked her head around the corner, swiftly pulling back. "Those guys from Denver, I think." A quick burst of weapon fire sprayed off, too slow to hit Lynn.

"What the hell are they here for?" Nate asked.

"I can guess," Glynn said, looking meaningfully at Kim and Ron.

"Like hell," Lynn said. She reached under her coat and pulled out a pair of handguns.

"What, you only brought your Hammerlis?" Nate said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Hey, it was a hospital visit. I thought that packing light would be a bit more appropriate. How was I supposed to know we'd be on the receiving end of a wet work?" Lynn hissed back.

"Less, chit chat and more shooting. Look what I found." Glynn pulled a pair of shotguns out from underneath the desk they'd taken cover behind. He handed one to Nate, the other he kept for himself.

"Ready?" Lynn asked.

Kim was startled by the change that had come over her niece. It was a look of insane peace and perfect confidence. Kim suddenly wondered if this is what she looked like when she slid into what Ron called 'mission mode.'

Lynn suddenly winked at Kim. "We got this one."

Before Kim could say anything, the girl flowed into motion. Diving into the hallway, she didn't even take the time to aim. Despite that, a scream of pain followed the first few muffled shots from her pistols. As if the scream was some sort of grim invitation, both Nate and Glynn rose from behind the desk, shotguns leveled.

Both weapons barked angrily, filling the hallway with shot. Lynn finished her roll, sliding behind the desk, guns still at the ready.

"Glad to see you're not going to run this time, chummer," a voice called from down the hallway.

"You must be glitched, this is a hospital!" Nate said, as he and Glynn ducked back behind the desk.

"We're only here to kick the two that were on ice. Just business," the speaker replied.

"Well, tough shit, cleaner man, not today," Lynn said.

"Have it your way, chummer."

"'Chummer' this, bitch," Kim heard Lynn mumble.

Lynn hurled herself with acrobatic grace into the hallway, her pistols spraying death down the hall as she did. Back flips were followed by hand stands, performed balancing on one gun clutching hand then the other. Finally, she flipped easily into one of the open doors a little further towards the assassins. As she cleared the hallway, Glynn and Nate stood again, unloading more rounds from their shotguns towards the other team. This time, the shotguns were far more effective.

Breaking cover to try and catch Lynn, what looked like an Ork took the blasts from both shotguns to the chest. Before he could even fall, the shotguns found their mark again. Twitching, he finally collapsed down like a puppet with his strings cut.

For a moment, silence filled the hallway, as Glynn and Nate ducked back behind the desk and began to calmly reload.

"Fine, we were going to play nice and only kill the the two who were on ice. But if you're going to be that way about it, fine, we got enough bullets for all of you!" The voice screamed.

The hallway became still for a moment. Then the air stirred. Then it screamed.

"Shit, it's an elemental!" Glynn said.

Even as the words escaped his lips, a humanoid shape shimmered in the air and began to advance down the hall.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit..." Min said as she opened fire.

"Ron, I think I can hurt it," Kim said.

Ron looked at her for a split second. "Like in the ally, when that water thing attacked," he said.

"Yeah, like that," Kim said. She wondered if Ron could see in her eyes the uncertainty that was clawing at her guts.

He looked up and met her gaze, unblinking. She could almost feel the rush of warmth and confidence he had in her. "I know you can. Go for it KP."

Kim nodded, and spun into the hall, leaping towards the monster.

--

"Come on, if Kim can hit it, why can't I?" Ron mumbled to himself.

He peaked around the corner to see Kim fighting the smear in the air. It looked like the smear might be winning. But, Kim being Kim, it wasn't having an easy time doing so. Ron watched as his girl unleashed sixteen kinds of kung-fu on it. However, as well as she was doing now, Ron could feel that her strength was already starting to fail.

The mole rat peaked out of the pocket of his cargo pants. Rufus looked down the hallway and shook his head. "Nah-uh, bad news!"

"Damn it, I need to help Kim," Ron said.

"Chosen One!"

Ron's head snapped around. Coming from one of the other hallways was a black clad ninja. In her hand, she held a blade. A blade Ron knew all too well.

Ron was almost too shocked to do anything for a moment. Then, he hesitantly held up a hand. "Here, magic sword," he whispered.

The Lotus Blade leapt to his waiting grasp.

Rufus let out a surprised yelp, and when Ron looked down at him, he was giving him the thumbs up. "Kick its ass!" Rufus squeaked.

"Booyah!"

--

Kim was being overwhelmed. She'd never fought anything like this before. The blows were more unexpected than Monkey Fist's Tai Shing Pek Kwar. The way her eyes wanted to slide off its form, made the elemental harder to hit then Shego. She had no illusions about the amount of damage one of those blows would do if they hit. She liked her ribs right where they were.

All of that didn't count for much though; she could feel herself slowing down. What she started as an all out assault was rapidly deteriorating. Already, it was a defensive game. One wrong move, and she'd be back in the hospital bed. She was not going back to those backless hospital gowns anytime soon.

Then Ron was there.

"Got your back, KP!"

For a moment, she wondered where the Lotus Blade had come from. She was pretty sure it was the Lotus Blade at least, since she didn't know of that many other shape shifting swords. She decided that it didn't really matter how he got it, or even if it was. He was there, that's what counted. That the shape changing sword was able to strike the elemental was big too.

"So not the drama, Ron," Kim said, dropping into a more aggressive stance. "Let's put it down."

"You got it."

--

"The hell?" Lynn whispered as she watched Kim and Ron attack the elemental. It was nothing short of an incredible sight. When one faltered, the other was there. As Ron threw the spirit off balance with a vicious series of attacks from the sword he suddenly had, Kim was there to take advantage. At other times, Kim flowed into a defensive position between the spirit and Ron as he left himself exposed to strike.

"This is really cool," she heard Glynn mumble.

--

"This is really bad," the Elf said, as he watched the fight unfold. "That spirit is getting its ass handed to it."

"I know," the Troll said. "It can't hold out much longer."

"Can you summon another?" the Human asked.

--

"Did they just say something about another one of these things?" Ron yelped, as the spirit nearly caught him in the head with one of its ghostly claws.

"Let's hope not," Kim said. She unleashed another furious sequence of punches and kicks at the spirit. It felt weird when she impacted. While there was defiantly something solid there to hit, it felt like her blows were sinking into it each time. She ducked and weaved through another few blows, before spinning around to take advantage of an opening Ron made for her.

"I got to tell you Kim, I don't think we've lost our edge," Ron quipped.

"Ron, come on, you know the rules. 'No puns during a fight,'" Kim shot back, grinning as she maneuvered the spirit into position for Ron to attack.

"Aw man, come on KP, cut me some slack," Ron said. The Lotus blade became a spear for a moment, allowing Ron to impale the spirit.

"Watch it, dear, or you're gonna be cut off," Kim said, grinning. She spun into the air, delivering a vicious series of kicks.

"Ouch, honey. You okay? Your nerves seem razor thin right now," Ron said. The Lotus blade twisted, becoming a weighted chain that slammed into it mid body.

"Oh wow, you're so close to the edge right now," Kim deadpanned. She spun into the air, unleashing a fierce high kick. Ron dropped into a wide, floor hugging stance, the Lotus blade becoming a nodachi, which he used low. The Spirit let out one last scream, and collapsed into itself.

Kim landed gracefully, completing her spin. Ron rose smoothly into a ready stance, Lotus blade again in Katana form, held before him.

"Who's next?"

--

"Hurry, summon up something to keep them busy!" the Elf said. "I've been cut off from the hospital node. We need to get out."

"Damn it," the Human cursed. His Ork friend was still bleeding from the shotgun wounds, despite his best efforts. "Is there any chance that spirit's going to be soon?"

"Yes, now shut up," the Troll said. "I'm trying to pull something really big in."

"All right, good. Get ready to leave as soon as it's here. Maybe we'll get lucky and it'll kill them too."

"I do not believe that will be happening," a sourceless woman's voice said.

The Runners looked around, trying to spot the source of the warning. Within moments, the source became clear. Several figures in stealth suits, wielding monoblades and assault rifles separated from the shadows around them.

"Shit," the Human said.

--

"So, think anything else is coming, KP?" Ron said.

"I don't know. If it was, you'd think it'd be here by now," she replied.

"Yeah, you'd think," he said.

"So are we just going to wait it out?" Kim said.

"I was thinking we should go and say 'hi' to them. After all, it seems like they really want to meet us," Ron said. "We just can't ever escape our fans, can we?"

"Tell me about it," Kim muttered.

The two began to cautiously walk down the hall. After a few steps, Lynn, Nate, and Glynn caught up with them.

"So, anything else coming?" Lynn asked.

"We're about to find out," Kim said.

The rounded the corner to find several black garbed figures standing over the bound, gagged, and unconscious hitmen. Those gathered bowed to the woman in the middle of the group. As one, all but the woman stepped out of sight.

"So, I guess this means that either we're fighting an Elemental Spirit of Ninja, or problem's solved," Ron said glibly.

The ninja replied with an amused giggled. "Oh Ron-San, you and your American style humor," she said, removing her mask.

"Yori!" Kim and Ron said.

"Sensei?" Glynn added.

"Should we know her?" Lynn whispered to Nate. Nate just responded with a shrug.

--

Kim was both impressed and a bit unsettled by the efficiency with which the clinics staff had taken care of hauling the assassin somewhere. She was told they'd be turned over to Lone Star. Apparently, this particular clinic preferred not to come to the attention of local law enforcement when select patients were involved.

"We have a few beds set aside for some 'Shadow clinic' work, helps support the rest of the hospital," Max explained. "However, we do need to be ready for trouble due to that. Hence, the shotguns."

Max and several orderlies had shown up moments after the crisis had been resolved. They had come well armed. After they discovered that the situation was under control, Max had walked Kim and Ron to one of the lounges, accompanied by Lynn, Yori, Glynn, and Nate. On the way he had explained the weapons.

"Good to know," Ron said.

"I'm still wondering how they got as far into the clinic as they did," Dr. Rohr, who had met them in the lounge, said.

From the corner, Yori softly said, "They masked their presence with magic."

"Well, that's nerve-wracking," Kim said, looking over to Yori. The ninja looked back calmly, a smile lighting up her face. The face that the smile graced was of a pretty Japanese woman who looked to be in her early or mid thirties. "Very nerve-wracking."

"Well, the two of you look none the worse for wear," Dr. Rohr said to Kim and Ron. "I still see no reason why you shouldn't be allowed to check out on schedule."

"That's great," Kim said.

"You two stay out of trouble, at least for a few weeks, and get plenty of exercise. That's an order," Dr. Rohr said as she left the room with Max in tow.

Kim let the door close fully before she turned to Yori. "How?"

"How what, Kim-san?" Yori replied calmly.

"You know what I mean, how are you still so young?" Kim demanded.

"Of course, forgive my bit of fun Kim-san," Yori said with a small laugh. "I have undergone Leónization treatment. Before you ask, it is a form of cellular rejuvenation. In other words, it restores youth. I received the treatment a little over ten years ago. While it is an expensive process it has impressive results."

"They can do that?" Ron said, amazed.

"As I said, it is an expensive process that few can opt for, but yes. It is a combination of nanite gene therapy and cellular repair that requires several months of intense treatment, and semi-annual touch-ups for several years," Yori added.

"That's incredible," Kim said.

"More so then shape changing swords, mystical martial arts, and summoned spirits?" Yori asked slyly.

"Well, huh, I guess not," Ron said.

"So why did Glynn call you Sensei?" Kim said.

"Simple, he spent some time as one of my students," Yori said, a pleased smile crossing her face. "He was an excellent student. I am most glad that Hana contacted me about him."

"So I guess that Sensei has passed on then?" Ron asked quietly.

Yori nodded, "He passed on in Twenty Twenty-One."

"I'm sorry to hear that Sensei died," Ron said. "He taught me a lot, and had more patience with me then I probably deserved."

"Sensei only spoke highly of you, Ron-san," Yori said. "But, that was nearly fifty years ago, I have long since done my mourning. However, I respect that you have not." Yori paused for a moment, looking them both in the eye, than continued. "I imagine that there are many that you are in need of mourning though."

"Yeah, there are," Ron said softly.

Kim wrapped her arm around Ron, holding him tightly. "Not that I mind the assist, Yori, but how did you know we were going to be attacked?" Kim said.

"I did not, Kim-San. I was here to give the Chosen One the Lotus Blade," Yori said. "I am simply glad that Wade contacted me when he did. Any later and I might not have arrived in time."

"So are we, Yori," Ron said. He still held the Lotus blade, now sheathed, in his lap. Kim didn't think he was quite sure what to do with it.

"I am most impressed though, Kim-San, you handled yourself well against the Spirit," Yori said. "I am not surprised that you've Awakened into an adept."

"Thanks, Yori, but it's not just me with the mystic skills," Kim said.

"Yeah, I just wish I knew what to do with them," Ron said. "Ever since I woke up, my Mystic Monkey Mojo seems as come and go as when I was in High School. Which, ya know, is really annoying."

"Perhaps then, I can help?" Yori said. She walked over to the chair that Dr. Rohr had recently abandoned, and sat cross-legged on it. "Yamanochi can do without me for a few weeks, and I am in need of a vacation. While I cannot teach you the spells that I believe you'll be able to cast Ron-San, I do know those who will be able to help."

"Wait, spells?" Ron's confusion evident. "You mean I'm not just going to get some mad fu skills?"

"I do not believe so, no. While your aura is strong, you display few adapts powers compared to Kim-San, whose aura is just as potent. My guess is that now that there is sufficient energy in the mana fields, the Mystical Monkey Power has changed. If the legends are true, it will not only give you access to the deeper mysteries of Tai Shing Pek Kwar as before, but access to spells, similar to a magician, as well."

"Booyah! I get to be a wizard!" Ron said.

Kim and Yori laughed for a moment before Kim caught the other girl's eye. "So, you don't mind staying here for awhile? It's not going to disrupt anything, is it?"

"As I said, Yamanochi should be able handle my absence for a few weeks at least. Besides, I think that I would be delighted to spend time with my old friends," Yori said. A playful grin lit her face. "It will be, as you American's say, 'just like old times' again?"

"That sounds great, Yori," Kim said, smiling even more than before.

Another old friend. Kim was beginning to really appreciate that surprise. She looked over at an equally grinning Ron. "Wipe that smile off your face, Stoppable, I'm not going to share."

Ron had the good grace to blush a little, while stammering protests about how he was thinking no such things. Yori hid a giggle behind her hand. Rufus just shook his head. Just like old times.

The door to the lounge opened, and Lynn poked her head through. "Hey, sorry to break up the reunion, but Uncle Wade just called me. He wants to know if there's any particular sort of programs you want on your commlinks."

Kim thought for a moment, and then looked at Ron.

"I'm in if you are, KP," he said.

"You sure? This is our chance to live a normal life," Kim said softly. "Leave some of the crazy behind."

"Are you kidding," Ron said just as softly. He shifted slightly to look her in the eyes. He cupped her face in his hand and continued, "Besides, you know me better than that. Never be normal."

"This is pretty next level weird though," Kim said, resting her hand on his. "It's going to end up being some real scary stuff." She could feel the excited grin lighting up her face.

"Come on, Kim, I've been overcoming my fears on a daily basis for years now," Ron said. A similar grin was already spreading across his face as well. "I've gotten pretty good at it too, so why change gears? Besides, whoever sent those guys is probably going to come at us again. What better way to be ready?"

"Listen, if you two are just going to start making out, I'll just come back later," Lynn said, sounding a bit uncomfortable.

"Lynn, tell Wade to put whatever he thinks a couple of Shadowrunners are going to need onto those commlinks," Kim said.

"Really?" Lynn said, excitement replacing the discomfort. "So, does this mean that Team Possible is back in business then?"

"We are so back in business," Kim said.

"Booyah!" Rufus exclaimed.

To be continued...

Well, my plan to get this out last week was foiled by my birthday. I really didn't think it would take up as much time as it did, but Saturday ended up being almost completely chewed up by it. Not that this was a bad thing mind you, it was a good thing really, it just didn't let me get at this as fast as I'd like. I've started in on the next chapter, so I'm hoping to get that out in about a month, considering my writing speed and the about to start new job phase I'm still stuck in. Also, I want to get started on a few Holiday themed stories now so I won't be late on 'em. I can hope...

While still a little rough in places, I generally like how this one went. Except for the bit with Yori and the Lotus blade at the end, as it does just feel rushed. I'm hoping I worked the rest of the choppy out... and failing that, at least down to a manageable amount.

Last, but far from least, big thanks to my proofreaders. "Font Size 26" (aka Pete!) whose knowledge of the Shadowrun world, and his willingness to point out those words I take a shine to chapter by chapter, helps to not only keep the feel right, but keep me looking like less of an idiot. Your Queen of Fanfiction and Mine, Cyberwraith 9 for being all too happy to point out when my stuff stinks, as well as what works for him, and when I do stuff like mix up my 'then' and 'than.' Someday I might get 'em right. Someday. I promise there will be more of the wondering around future Seattle as time goes by. And you're right, she would remember. Big round of applause for them both!

Until next time: Water and Shade All

(Woot! Under 10,000!)


	5. Hit the Ground Shadowrunning

Disclaimer: I don't own Shadowrun or Kim Possible. I wish I could do something about one or the other, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Right now Catalyst Game Lab and Disney, respectfully, own them. I guess I'll just have to accept that they'll do with them what they will... Oh, and I don't plan on, or am going to even try, to make any money off of this. So please don't sue me.

Kim Possible in:

Born to Shadowrun

Chapter 5: Hit the Ground Shadowrunning

Date: March 16th, 2070, 00:17:48

Location: Redmand Barrens, Seattle Metroplex, UCAS

"I hate drones!" Ron declared loudly as he stumbled down the hallway and towards the door to the outside. He was holding the ungainly cage in which rested an unconscious rabbit in front of him.

Scout whistled shrilly at him from a few meters ahead, obviously annoyed by the comment.

"All right, fine, I hate those drones!" he amended, as he ducked another hail of bullets.

Kim could only grunt an agreement, as she dove towards the van's open door. Followed quickly by Ron, the Lynn, and finally by a limping Glynn.

She looked behind her to where an assault rifle armed drone was rolling over two of its disabled brethren. Several other disabled and destroyed drones littered the hallway they'd made their escape down.

"This was supposed to be easy!" Glynn yelled as he unloaded several slugs from his shotgun into the surprisingly resilient drone.

--

Date: March 15th, 2070

Location: Apartment of Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable, Seattle Metroplex, UCAS

Kim sat on the edge of the counter, watching as Ron put the finishing touches on his own birthday dinner. She wanted to be annoyed. She really did. After all, she had offered to cook for him.

"You're still a little steamed about this, aren't you?" Ron mildly commented as he added some seasoning to the meal.

"Of course not," Kim replied. "Just because you won't even let me help make _your_ birthday dinner, why would I be? Please, no big."

"Uh-huh," Ron hummed back. He checked the pot simmering on the stove. It met with his approval and he replaced the lid.

"I don't think it's too much to want to make dinner for my lifelong best friend and boyfriend for his birthday after all. But hey, you are the master chef around here." Kim was becoming more miffed by the word.

Ron leaned against the cabinets across from her, and smiled. "Feeling better now?" he asked with a grin.

Kim glared at his goofy expression for a moment. Then with a sigh, she leaned back and smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm feeling better now."

"You know I just like to cook, right?" Ron asked.

Kim chuckled. "I know, I know. I also know that I'm not in your culinary league."

"You love that I do all the cooking," Ron said, his grin widening.

"I'm just shocked that you're using one of the fake SIN's Wade gave you just for buying groceries," Kim replied with a laugh.

"Don't laugh, Kim," Ron replied, "I get some bondiggity deals because of it."

Kim just shook her head, and changed the subject. "So, did Yori get back to Yamanouchi all right?"

"Yeah, she messaged me right before she got back to the school. She is 'most sorry she has to miss the American-style birthday party.' I guess the students were getting rowdy, or something," Ron said, a hint of disappointment creeping into his voice.

Kim didn't want to mention that it seemed the Yori was still carrying a little torch for Ron. Ron didn't seem to notice, he was just upset that one of his few friends wasn't able to share his birthday. "Remember Ron, _ninja_. She probably had some top secret thing to do. Besides, we couldn't keep cheating her students out of such a great teacher."

"Yeah, you're right," Ron replied, his mood brightening again.

"Anyway, guests should be here soon so I'm going to make sure everything else is in order, and leave you to finish the cooking," Kim said, as she scooted off the counter. Before she left the kitchen, she leaned over and kissed Ron on the cheek. "Happy Birthday, Ronnie," she whispered.

--

"Happy Eighty-Second Birthday Ron!" Hana said as she walked into the apartment and hugged her older brother.

"Thanks, Hana," Ron said as he hugged her back. Despite being in her mid sixties, she was still full of youthful energy. Kim was constantly impressed by how well her surrogate little sister had aged. While her shoulder length hair was showing some signs of going grey, it was still full and healthy. Her figure had maintained something of her fighter's form, despite having a child and being at a desk job for a number of years.

Hana broke the hug and held out her arms for Kim. "Hey, big sis!"

"Hi, Hana," Kim said as she moved to embrace her. After the two hugged and exchanged the normal string of pleasantries about each others dresses, hair, and weight. Ron took the opportunity to excuse himself to check on the other guests.

"So, where's Don and Maury?" Kim asked as she hung Hana's coat in the closet.

"Out parking the car. I think Maury wanted a little father-son time with Don," Hana said. In a softer voice, she added "Donald is talking about changing his name to Fiske. Maury and I aren't too big on the idea."

"I don't think Ron will like it much either. He was pretty freaked when he found out that Monkey Fist had a son, much less that you married him," Kim quietly replied.

"Tell me about it," Hana said, rolling here eyes at the memory. She shook her head, like she was trying to clear away an unpleasant thought before she continued. "No more talk like this though. This is a happy day," Hana said brightly.

"Of course it is," a crisp voice said from the door. Kim was glad that Ron's brother-in-law didn't take too much after his father, in appearance or attitude. Morris Stoppable, born Fiske, had inherited something of his father's height and build, and a little resemblance around the eyes, as well as the name that Monkey Fist had dragged through the dirt. However, he had managed to escape the Fiske family nose, chin, and cheeks, leaving a dignified looking man, with a slightly rounded face. Even better, he'd been able to escape the worst parts of his father's personality as well.

"Kim, a pleasure as always," he said, a bright smile on his face. The two of the embraced lightly.

"Hi, Maury, how are things?" Kim asked, smiling.

"Well, so far I've found that retirement agrees with me quite well. Now, if I can just convince Hana that the Draco Foundation could get along without her," Maury hinted, the smile that lit up his face was one that Kim thought his father would never have been capable of.

"Just because _I_ happen to love my job, and see no reason to retire, doesn't mean _you_ get to keep bothering me about it," Hana grinned. "Besides, someone has to support your lazy ass." This comment reinforced by a quick swat to the ass in question.

"Too true," Maury laughed. For a moment his British accent thick.

"If you two are done?" a third voice asked from behind them.

"Aw, are we embarrassing you, honey?" Hana said with a laugh.

"Quite frankly, Mother, yes," Don Stoppable said. He eased himself past his parents, and entered the apartment. He was a tall young man, who possessed a smooth and handsome mixture of his Japanese and European heritage. Dark, well-groomed hair fell to his shoulders, framing his lean and angular face. Although his nose took a bit more after his aristocratic grandfather's than his parents', his eyes took distinctly after his mother, and his complexion was able to maintain an even mix of skin tones. His build and movements spoke of a lifetime of intense martial arts training, and the mystic symbols embroidered into his long coat, which Kim was sure was armored, and the talismans hanging from his belt announced to the world that he was a sorcerer. Or at least, wanted everyone to think he was. "Good evening, Aunt Kim. How are you?"

"Hi, Don, I'm doing great," Kim said as she hung his definitely armored coat and his father's more civilian garment in the closet. "Thanks for coming; I know that it means a lot to Ron."

"I'm sure it does," Don replied. Kim couldn't decide if she liked the slightly snide tone of voice the handsome young man took. The glare his mother shot at him hinted that Hana certainly didn't like it.

"Everyone else is in the living room guys, so make yourselves at home," Kim said.

Don simply nodded and headed towards the sound of voices and laughter. With an apologetic shrug, Maury followed him. A merry greeting echoed down the hall as the two men joined the party proper.

Hana just sighed. "I hope it's just a phase. I don't think I could tolerate his piss poor attitude for another Hanukkah."

Kim just laughed, and the two walked arm in arm to join the rest.

--

"I have to compliment you on the view there Ron," Wade said. "It's breathtaking."

The two were looking out over the impressive skyline of the Seattle Metroplex from the small balcony attached to the apartment Kim and Ron shared. The view also took in a decent amount of the shoreline and some of the suburbs as well, before being blocked by other buildings.

"Yeah, it is pretty badical," Ron agreed, as he took a bite of his cake. "The rent isn't half bad either."

Wade laughed as he took another bite of his cake. "You're gonna have to tell me some time about how you found as nice a place as this, for the amount of Nuyen you paid."

"Maybe someday," Ron grinned.

"I think you two spent too much time with Yori, you're starting to sound like her," Wade said. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, setting the now empty plate on the floor next to it. "So, how did the training go? Got a handle on the old Mystic Monkey Powers again?"

"You could certainly say that," Ron said. He set his empty plate on top of Wade's, then leaned against the railing once more. From inside drifted the sounds of music and conversations to mix with the distant sounds of the city.

"It's weird, Wade. When Sensei told me I'd become the Monkey Master after High School, it didn't really feel like this. It feels more complete now. It feels right. Like this time I've really become the Monkey Master," Ron said.

"Not to mention training with Kim," Wade added.

Ron felt a smile light up his face. "I'll admit that it was nice to train with Kim too. When Sensei named me Monkey Master back in the day, when I really came into my own, I sometimes felt like _I_ was leaving _Kim_ behind. Now," Ron's smile became wistful, "now it's different. It's better. When we started the world saving thing, I wasn't anywhere near Kim's level. By the time Kim got sick, I had begun to leave her behind. But now, now we're at the same level. We might do things different here and there, but we're neck and neck when we do."

Wade nodded. The two stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes, while Ron fingered a small box that Wade had slipped him earlier.

"Thanks for hanging on to this for me, Wade," Ron said quietly.

"I was glad to, Ron," Wade said. "It helped me remember the good times."

"I'm glad," Ron said, pocketing the box. "I'm just sorry we missed so many other good times. And people."

Wade just smiled sadly. "Helen was an incredible woman. She'd have liked you two."

"I'd hope so," Ron said. "Specially considering how much of my mad dating advice you must have used to catch her eye."

The two stood in silence for a moment, before breaking into uproarious laughter.

"So," Wade said, after the laughter finally died down. "How are things between you and Kim?"

Wade was grinning when Ron turned and looked at him. He couldn't help but smile back. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I have to imagine there's some element of being two strangers in a strange land with you two right now. I'd imagine that amount of weird might put some stress on any relationship. So, how are things?"

Ron's knew his grin must have been nothing short of lecherous, and it felt great. "Just ask about the sex."

--

"I can't believe how your luck runs some days, Kim," Hana said, as she put away some of the dishes she'd just got done washing. "This is such a great apartment."

"Thanks, Hana. It was so the fixer-upper when we moved in though," Kim replied with a laugh.

"Come on now K, this place couldn't have been too bad," Bonnie said as she sipped her coffee.

Kim took the plate from Hana, carefully dried it and put it away. Kim looked around at the room and smiled. The kitchen had started out pretty decently sized, and Ron had gone out of his way to equip it as best as he could, much like the rest of the apartment. A little run down, lot's of potential, and now it was theirs. After only a few months, it even felt like home.

"Let's just say it had some unique issues," Kim said.

Hana simply chuckled and dried her hands. "At least you've settled in."

Kim and Hana joined Bonnie at the small table in the kitchen. "So Bonnie, how are the treatments going?" Kim asked, as she took a drink from her own cup of coffee.

Bonnie sighed, and took another sip of coffee. "The gene therapy is going okay. The bioware still feels a little yish, but I can walk a bit again. The doctors say that I'm getting better everyday. Sure, it's not Leónization, but it's doing the trick."

"I'm glad to hear that Bonnie," Hana said. "You're even more of a pain in the ass as an invalid than you ever were walking."

"Well then, when I pass around the hat for donations towards that Leònization treatment next time, keep that in mind!" Bonnie said, smiling at the other woman. "But I for one am more interested in how Kim is doing. Come on, K, spill."

"Yeah Sis, how did the training with Yori go?" Hana added.

Kim took a moment to take a drink of her coffee, and contemplate her answer. "So not the drama," she finally decided on. "I was back to where I was before I got sick pretty quick. And that was before the 'adept-ness' kicked in."

"Must have been nice to train with Ron too, right K?" Bonnie asked, a sly smile on her face. "I mean, you got to get all hot, sweaty, and physical with him, all day long after all."

Kim almost couldn't hear Hana's giggle over her own laugh. "That was _so_ a fringe benefit," she finally got out. "But honestly, it was great. Apparently my adept powers were pretty straightforward, and played to my abilities. Ron's were a little odder, but his training from before with his Mystical Monkey Powers helped a lot." For a moment, Kim felt a bit wistful, and leaned forward, chin resting on her palms. "Before, we were never really balanced. At first I was better. But when Ron got a handle on his Mystic Monkey Powers back in the day, it swung the other way. However, now we're really in sync. We complement each other more than we ever have before. It's so much better now."

The three sat in silence for a moment. Kim noticed Hana and Bonnie exchanging looks. "Okay, what?"

"Well, we were sorta wondering how you two were adjusting," Hana replied.

"Pretty well. Ron's a bit upset about the end of the Bricks of Fury franchise. He also wanted to get a datajack installed. Luckily Yori and I talked him out of it," Kim finished, shaking her head.

Hana blanched. "Why would he be willing disrupt his Essence like that?"

"Well, duh," Bonnie answered before Kim could say anything. "Video games, what else?"

Kim and Hana both looked at her, blinking. "Actually, yeah, that is why. But how did _you_ know, Bonnie?" Kim asked.

"I have 'cybered' up children and grandchildren. It comes with the territory," Bonnie replied with a shrug. "However, that's not what I was wondering about," actual concern had entered Bonnie's voice. "We're worried about the two of you. How are you two, you know, getting along?"

"Yeah big sis? How's the relationship holding up?" Hana asked.

Kim felt her cheeks warm, as a lusty grin crossed her face. "Just ask about the sex."

--

"I still find it hard to believe that you're actually going to let those two relics join your team," Don said, giving a nod towards the balcony door, and by extension Ron. He kept his voice low enough that it wouldn't carry into the living room proper where Uncle Maury, Tim, and Rufus where watching an Urban Brawl match on the trid.

Glynn rolled his eyes from the other side of the small bar tucked into the far corner of the living room where he, Lynn, Nate, and Don where perched.

"Oh, and why's that?" Lynn asked.

"Would you like a list, Azùl?" Don replied with a sneer.

"Must be awfully short," Nate added, sipping at his drink. "I mean, who wouldn't want a pair of powerful Awakened to join their team? Hell, even if they're only half as good as we've always been told, they're an incredible asset." A broad grin lit up his face as he continued. "That it's what our team's been missing is just gravy!"

"Please," Don replied, his free hand waving dismissively. "As I've said, they're relics of the Fifth World. The Spirits were just feeling generous by allowing them to Awaken. They don't know anything about this World. They'll stick out like a pair of sore thumbs. The network of contacts they relied so heavily upon is mostly dead or retired. Besides, without the back up of groups like Global Justice, I doubt they'd be able to handle any actual threat."

Nate and Lynn exchanged glances with Glynn in a moment of uncomfortable silence. Finally, after a little bit of soul searching, all three seemed to come to the same conclusion with a shrug.

"They should do okay, Don," Glynn said quietly. "Besides, everyone needs to start somewhere."

Don directed his next sneer at Glynn. "Spare me that croc of shit, _Simian_. They did start, and it was generations ago. _Their time is over_," Don said with a snarl. He composed himself quickly enough, and continued his British accent thick and his tone haughty. "Besides, Shadowrunning is dirty work. Can you see those two breaking limbs? Stealing data just for a profit? Killing someone?"

Lynn glared at him. "That's our concern, _Donald_, not yours."

Don however, his temper under control once again, merely shrugged. "Don't kill the messenger. I'm just trying to help," he said, abruptly standing. "However, I'm a very busy man, so I don't have time to sit around and _marinate_, as it were. Watch your backs, and don't come crying to me when they prove to be unreliable."

"I don't think there's much fear of that," Lynn retorted. Then, grinning nastily, added, "After all, Kim's the Girl Who Can Do Anything, and Ron _is_ the Monkey Master."

"He's a damned idiot and a pretender is what he is!" Don said, loud enough to attract the attention of everyone in the room, and still the conversation in both the kitchen, and on the balcony. Rage twisted his features as he glared down at Lynn.

Glynn felt that same old fear trying to choke him seeing that expression. Memories of childhood pranks and torments from his 'cousin' came racing back in an instant. Now though, when confronted with fear like this, he simply tensed up and laid a hand on his pistol. While it didn't make the fear any less, it did help him feel a lot better.

"Don," Maury said, turning to face the four of them. "Is everything all right, son?"

"Everything's fine," Don said, straightening his clothes.

"Doesn't sound fine," Hana said from the kitchen door. Her face was an unreadable mask. "Is something the matter?"

Glynn could see Aunt Kim and Nana Bon were right behind her. He was happy that the concerned looks on their faces where easy to see.

"No, everything's fine, mother. Sorry for my outburst, Kim," nodding to her, "Uncle Ron," nodding to where Ron stood in the now open door to the balcony. "As I was just saying though, I need to dash." Don walked over to where his mother stood and gave her a too formal kiss on the cheek. "You'll have to forgive me for eating and running, I'm afraid."

"No big, Don. Hopefully you can stay longer next time," Kim said.

"Well, we'll see, won't we," Don said, nodding stiffly at her. "Uncle Ron, again, Happy Birthday."

"Thanks, Don, glad you could make it," Ron said.

"My cab will be here any moment, don't worry, I can show myself out." Don nodded once more to those gathered and strode towards the door. A few moments later, the sound of the door closing rang through the still silent apartment.

Bonnie turned to glare at her granddaughter. "Lynn?"

"It wasn't me Nana Bon-Bon!" the girl replied before Bonnie could go any further. "He just started flipping out."

Bonnie glared at her.

"Really! I didn't do anything," Lynn insisted, wilting a bit even as she did.

"Really?" Bonnie said.

Lynn shifted from foot to foot, before finally blurting out, "All right, fine, fine, I egged him on. But he was asking for it!"

"No big, Bonnie, Don seems like a, well, excitable sort," Kim said uneasily. Glynn felt himself sigh in relief.

"Yeah Bon-Bon," Ron said as he and Wade stepped back into the living room. "I'm just glad he was able to make it."

The tension seemed to leave the room in one big rush. The needle meets balloon effect.

"Well, anyway, we should be heading out too," Nate said. "I want to double-check my gear before that job later tonight."

Hana blinked for a second, and looked first at Kim than Ron. "A job? So you're really going to do it then? Take up Shadowrunning?"

"We meet with our first Mr. Johnson tonight!" Kim answered, her voice tinged with excitement.

--

Don walked out of the apartment building and onto the sidewalk. After a moment, anyone perceiving the astral would have seen a small, spider monkey looking spirit hop off the side of the building he'd just exited and perch on his shoulder. It quickly and energetically whispered something into the young mage's ear as it excitedly pointed to wear _their_ apartment was.

"How dare he," Don mumbled to himself. "How dare he make that claim?" The ghostly spider monkey on his shoulder leaned forward, whispering more encouragement.

"That buffoon and his whore, the both of them, have no place here. They're both relics that they should have been left frozen. Then he has the gall to claim that he's the Monkey Master? I'll show them who the True Monkey Master is. I'll show them what someone who's in command of the Mystical Monkey Power can do." He dismissed his watcher spirit with a wave of his hand as a cab pulled to a stop in front of him. Once more, his eye's felt drawn to where the pretender was.

"How can he possibly stand against me? _I am_ the Monkey Mage after all."

--

Date: March 15th, 2070

Location: Park in Downtown Seattle Metroplex, UCAS

"_Well, what does everyone think?_" Nate's said through the secure network their Commlinks established.

"_Seems like a lot of effort to kidnap a pet bunny,_" Ron replied.

"_Who cares?_" Glynn said, obviously excited by the job. "_Even if he's running the normal number of lies a Johnson will feed you, this should be a walk in the park. All we need to do is ghost into this guy's apartment, lift the pet rabbit, and bring it back to him. Then we get paid! How awesome is that?_"

"_Well, Download did say he was going to find us a cake run..._" Lynn agreed. "_And hey, the pay is good. The job seems pretty safe, which is sure to change. It doesn't even sound like they have shady plans for the bunny. I say go._"

"_You guys know I'm in,_" Glynn said.

"_Sounds like it could be kinda fun, I'm there,_" Nate laughed.

The three of them turned to look at Kim and Ron.

"_While ideally, I'd like to know what he's holding back on, but I guess I'm in,_" Kim said reluctantly.

"_The Ron-man is good to go,_" Ron said. After a moment though, he added, "_Although I do wonder who he's really working for, cause the animal rights thing just doesn't seam to track..._"

"_Wonder all you like Ron, just don't ask it out loud,_" Nate said over the network. He then turned to the Johnson, calmly standing a few feet away. "All right," he said to him, "we're in."

"Wonderful. Here's the down payment," the Mr. Johnson reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a black credstick. From another, he took out a small aerosol can. "And, as promised, the knock-out gas. Keep it near the target and feel free to use it heavily; we don't want it to get too aggravated during transit. I'll be seeing you in a few hours then, Mr. Network."

"You can count on us, Mr. Johnson," Nate answered as he pocketed both the credstick and the aerosol can.

The five of them turned and walked towards Nate's nondescript van in silence. Quickly getting in, Nate drove slowly away, punching in the address that they'd been provided.

Lynn looked expectantly at Kim and Ron. "All right guys. What do you think?"

"Well," Kim said a bit hesitantly as the van lurched into motion. "It's not really what I was expecting. I mean, kidnapping someone's pet to show them the worth of animals?"

"Like I said Kim, something weird about that guy's story," Ron said.

"Well, what did your assensing tell you, Ron?" Glynn asked.

"My assensing?" Ron replied. Confusion was evident on his face for a moment, replaces with wide-eyed realization. "Ohhh, yes. My _assensing_. Where I'd read his aura and be able to tell things about him," Ron ended with a chuckle.

Under Kim's glare, Ron began to nervously rub the back of his neck. "You forgot, didn't you?" Kim said evenly.

"Totally forgot to," Ron sheepishly responded.

"Oy," Rufus said, slapping his paw to his forehead as he looked over the scene from the back of Ron's seat.

"Don't worry, it's cool," Glynn said calmly. He was checking his gear, going over the combat webbing and devices implanted in his stealth suit that would baffle most detection devices. "We already know he's lying. And like Azùl said, this is a cake Run."

"Yeah, don't worry about it, Simmy, Network, and I have been on all kinds of Runs. Unless we're walking into a bug hive or some sort of combat drone warehouse, we'll be all good. We've got nothing to worry about."

--

Date: March 15th, 2070, 23:39:37

Location: Redmand Barrens, Seattle Metroplex UCAS

"This is the place," Glynn said, peering at the nondescript building through a pair of high-powered binoculars.

"Looks pretty quiet, just like the Johnson told us," Lynn said. The others nodded. "Well, how do we want to do this? The rabbit could be in any one of these rooms," she said, projecting it into the groups shared strategy AR program. Floating before the group was a wire frame model of the inside of the building. Lynn highlighted rooms as she went. "From the heat signatures, and what the Johnson told us, it'll probably be in the kitchen, the den, the bedroom, or the workshop. While it's certainly not a big place, if each of us searches one of these rooms, and Network's van is ready for the quick get-away, we should be in and out before his security systems can more than squeak to Lone Star."

"Sounds easy enough," Ron said. "So what's the catch?"

Kim nodded. She was already judging the various points of entry from the map. It didn't look that bad really. "Yeah, what's the deal with the alarms? Considering that he's supposed to do a lot of his research here, and how remote it is, the security is probably ferocious."

"That's the thing, it's not that bad," Network chimed in. "He has a few layers of alarms and cameras, but not much else. Like Azùl said, in and out."

"I don't know, something about this seems fishy," Ron said, rubbing his chin. "I mean, what we see here is a prime example of the urban lair. You'd think it'd have more in the way of defenses."

"Let's not start that again," Kim said with a sigh.

"One time, Kim, one time," Ron mumbled.

"Ah, guys, I think you're losing focus a little bit," Glynn said. "I think we're looking at three points of entry. We have this one on the roof," he brushed the roof, and the skylight lit up. "We also have these three windows," each illuminating with a touch. "Finally, we have the front and rear doors," the indicated portals obediently began to glow. "Those are probably better for the exit strategy, though."

"Ron and I can take the roof entry," Kim said, Ron nodding his assent.

"I'll take this window," Lynn pointed.

"Right, I'll take this one." Glynn turned to Nate, "Network?"

"I'll take the armored truck. Outside. Away from whatever crazed security system is hiding inside of there," Nate said, a look that was between confusion and ill humor on his face.

Kim was trying hard to suppress a giggle when a private message suddenly sprang to life in front of her. _Now we know he's definitely Wade's Grandson._ Kim looked over at Ron. The far too innocent expression and the smug grin was more then her resolve could take.

Kim looked at the confused looks she was getting from everyone there but Ron, and broke out into genuine laughter, followed shortly by Ron.

"Maybe they _were_ in cryo for too long," she heard Nate comment.

Glynn and Lynn just shrugged.

--

Ron dropped to the floor a moment later after Kim did.

"_All right, we're in,_" Kim subvocalized.

"_I read ya,_" Network said. "_All teams now in. Head to your rooms._"

"_On the way,_" Lynn replied.

"_Moving,_" Glynn said.

Ron looked over at Kim and grinned. "Good luck, honey," Ron whispered.

Kim grinned back and air kissed at him before sprinting down the hall towards the den. After a glance at the translucent map in front of him, he started down the hall towards the lab. Like the exterior of the building, the inside was run-down and a bit unkempt. Oddest of all were the posters blanketing the walls. Some were framed, others were just haphazardly taped or tacked up.

"The Dead Milkmen? What type of name is that?" Ron mumbled as he ghosted past a particularly odd looking, framed poster.

"Hoy, Punk Rock!" Rufus whispered from a pouch at his belt. Armored and comfortable, it was a gift to Rufus from Yori and Kim for his birthday. Since the armored clothing he'd be wearing on missions didn't include pockets big enough for his hairless friend, an alternative was found.

"Ah, right then," Ron answered as he walked into the lab. He quickly scanned the room. There were small electronics, engines, and computer equipment lay scattered across the various wooden and metal tables in the large room. An elaborate, and old fashioned, sound system was next to the door. On one of the benches, cleared of other debris and components, was the rabbit.

"Booyah!"

Ron walked slowly up to the cage, pulling out the small spray can. As he approached, the rabbit's head jerked up abruptly, and its eyes locked onto Ron. "Nah-uh, buddy, we need you to go back to sleep. No stressed-out herbivores allowed."

With a chemical puff, the rabbit blinked and collapsed. Ron toggled on his subvocal mic. "_Hey guys, mission accomplished. One sleeping rabbit._"

"_Great job,_" Glynn responded. "_Let's get outa here... shit._"

That was when the distinct sound of automatic weapons began to fill the air.

"_Glynn_!" Lynn screamed.

"_Guys! I'm reading seven wireless signatures logging into that place's Node and at least that many Expert systems booting as well!_" Nate shouted. "_You need to get out now!_"

"Done and done," Ron said to himself, picking up the surprisingly heavy cage and getting ready to run. That's when some of the debris on one of the tables began to shift violently back and forth. "That is just kilometers of bad road."

With a final shudder, a small mechanical object burst out of the pile of assorted part and pieces littering the table before him. It pushed itself into the air, the sound of its compact but powerful rotor system filling the air. The squat, wide disk turned its sensor eye towards Ron.

"I don't suppose we can come to some sort of compromise?"

The only response was the red dot of a targeting laser appearing on his chest.

"Guess not," Ron said as he leaped and flipped over the drone. As he passed over it, he kicked down hard, as much to change his momentum as to damage the drone. As he kicked down, the drone let loose several shots from the firearm encased in its hardened plastic shell. The shots went wide, as much from Ron's kick, as from the Expert Systems tracking software not being up to the task of keep an adept in its sights.

"Rude!" Rufus clamored.

"Got that right," Ron said. With a flick, the Lotus Blade morphed from an armored bracer on his forearm to a razor sharp katana. One casual sweep later the drone was lying on the ground, a deep gash destroying the unit's onboard computer. Without a second look, Ron ran into the hallway.

Further down, he could see Kim end another of the little flyers with a kick that shattered its housing. Lynn was pumping rounds into another, her two heavy pistols adding to the cacophony of arms fire.

"Quick, get to the front door!" Glynn yelled, as he limped out of the room he'd been searching. Ron was relieved to see that it didn't look like he was bleeding. He was less relieved to see another of those flying drones coming out of the room Lynn had been in and firing off several rounds at him.

"Right!" Kim yelled. As she turned towards Ron and the front door, the wall suddenly burst apart between them.

A treaded monstrosity rolled through the new aperture. The smooth sound of well maintained hydraulics filled the hallway as its weapon loaded head lifted smoothly and began to track them. It swiveled one way then the other far too quickly for a machine that size, pivoting first to Kim, then towards Ron, its expert system seemed humanly eager for a target. It finally settled on Ron and the rabbit, sighting in with what looked like the horrific bore of an integrated shotgun.

Kim was suddenly there, running along the wall to crash her feet down on the drone's head, before smashing her fist through its plastic armor. She looked up at Ron and grinned. "This time I got your back. Now run!"

Ron nodded and turned towards the door as another of the treaded drones burst from the wall in front of him. "Who builds houses like this?" Ron muttered.

With a scream, blue energy wrapped around him. Mana coursed through him, and time seemed to slow. With casual ease, he looped down the hallway, the Lotus Blade held at the ready. With a single lucky stroke, the mystical blade descended down, driven by magically augmented muscles, and split the drone's control module in two. Ron grinned as he released the Mystical Monkey Power and reshaped the Lotus into a bracer once more.

"Stop showing off, Ron," Kim said as she ran past him towards the door.

"You're no fun at all," Ron glibly replied as he started to run towards the door as well.

They were almost there when a third drone made its crashing entrance, nearly bowling Kim over. From behind him, the ring of automatic weapons fire started up again.

Kim recovered from her surprise quickly and unleashed a spin kick at the drone. There was a screech of tormented metal as the module was nearly ripped off by the force of her kick. However, she wasn't quick enough to stop it from unleashing a hail of bullets that impacted neatly on the wall between Kim and Ron.

"Stop fucking around! Go!" Glynn called from behind them as Scout whirred over their heads. Gylnn's custom rotor drone was followed by yet another hail of bullets.

Ron took off running once more towards the now open door.

"I hate drones!"

--

Kim watched in amazement as the last drone took a fourth blast from the shotgun at close range before finally grinding to a halt. She didn't have much time to appreciate it, as the van lurched to life, squealing away into the night.

"You okay, Simmy?" she heard a very concerned Lynn ask.

"I'll be fine. The armor soaked most of the abuse from that one. Thank the spirits those things weren't very accurate," he replied as he began to strip out of his pants.

Lynn nodded as she retried the first aid kit. "Is the rabbit okay?" she asked.

Kim looked at where Ron had put the rabbit, carefully buckling it into one of the van's bench seats. "Looks like it's sleeping peacefully," she said.

Glynn just nodded. Now that Kim had a good look at his wounded leg, she's was guessing it was worse than Glynn thought. Lynn must have agreed.

"This looks pretty bad. Some deep bruising if you're lucky. But it might be worse. At least the bullet deflected off. You _should_ see a doc," Lynn whispered.

Before Glynn could utter the refusal it was obvious he was going to make, Ron eased himself to them. "Mind if I try first?"

Before either could answer, Ron's hand glowed blue, and he set it on Glynn's bruised leg. At the contact, Glynn gritted his teeth and hissed in pain. Ron kept his hand there for a moment, the blue glowing intensifying quickly, than fading. When he removed his hand, Glynn no longer looked injured.

"That kicks so much ass," Lynn mumbled.

"Yeah, it's only a little sore now. That's incredible! Thanks Ron!" Glynn said, pulling off his mask to reveal his wide grin.

"As my lovely lady would say, 'no big,'" Ron said, catching Kim's eyes with a smile.

Kim couldn't help but smile back. For a moment, she _felt_ his delight in having helped Glynn, the fading edge of his adrenalin rush, and a flush of pleasure from looking at her. Kim blushed a bit, and was about to say something a bit inappropriate for the situation, when the sensations coming from Ron turned to confusion and curiosity.

"Uh, KP," Ron said, shifting his gaze to fall more directly on the rabbit and cage behind her. "Could you check on our cotton tailed friend?"

"Sure thing," Kim said, a bit confused. She turned to look more carefully at the occupant of the cage behind her. It looked like a "standard rabbit" as far as she could tell. It had the expected long ears, brown fur with splotches darker and lighter, fluffy white tail, the works. Its chest rose and fell rhythmically in its sleep, but other than that, it lay still.

"Well, I'm no expert, but it's still breathing. Why?" Kim turned and asked.

Ron tilted his head to the side, like he was trying to see it from a whole new angle. "Well, that's the thing. It's not alive."

"Well, shit," Glynn said. "What a waste of ammo."

--

After driving for several miles, Nate pulled into a dark ally, and moved back to study the rabbit-disguised drone with the rest of the group. After Ron's discovery, it didn't take long for Glynn and Scout to uncover its true identity.

"From the weight, I'd guess that the spray bottle is actually some sort of jamming device to shut the drone inside the bunny shell down," Glynn commented.

Several lines went from Glynn's commlink into ports on Scout and hidden in the "rabbit's" ear. "This drone is some pretty Wiz SOTA though. No wonder our fine Mr. Johnson is willing to pay top Nuyen for it," Glynn added. "The jamming tech isn't that bad either."

"If it's supposed to shoot down drones, why isn't Scout down for the count?" Kim asked.

"Well, Scout's a tough little guy, and I invested a good deal in his electronics warfare countermeasures. It'd take more than this to shut him down," Glynn responded with pride.

"Coolio," Ron said. "What I don't get is how real it looked. I mean, if I hadn't assensed it, I wouldn't have even guessed."

"That's probably the whole point. Stealth spy and assassin drones. Make 'em look like animals and send 'em in. Pretty clever," Nate chimed in.

Everyone looked at the rabbit drone for a few minutes, caught up in their own thoughts. "So, uh, what do we do now?" Kim asked. She was looking at Ron in that kinda creepy way that meant they were communicating without words or commlinks.

"Simple," Glynn said, pulling the wires out of the rabbit's ear and from Scout. "We finish the job. It's not like we really trusted this Johnson in the first place, so I don't see why him lying about this changes anything."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Lynn shrugged. "Should we ask for more since we know what it is?"

Nate though about it for a moment, and chimed in. "Why? He'll either get pissy about it and try to buck us our pay or try and figure out just how we know. I say we take our pay, try to squeeze for a bit more because of all the combat drones on-site, and then leave."

Glynn and Lynn just shrugged, then nodded. Kim and Ron seemed to need a few moments more to think it over. Eventually though, Kim, too, shrugged and nodded her assent. Ron mumbled an affirmative as well.

"Wiz. Let's go get paid."

--

Date: March 16th, 2070

Location: Apartment of Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable, Seattle Metroplex, UCAS

"Great job, guys," Lynn said as Kim and Ron hopped out of the van. "So, now that you've had your first taste of Running, what do you think?"

"It's certainly a rush," Kim said.

"You got that right," Ron agreed.

"So then, you're good with this? I know it was a bit intense when the bullets started flying," Lynn said hesitantly.

"Please! So not the drama. I don't know what Tim and Wade told you about our missions, but this isn't the first time we've been shot at," Kim replied with a soft laugh.

"I mean, come on, our missions weren't all harmlessly exploding lairs and me dropping drawers," Ron added. "You accidentally demolish a few lairs and lose your pants, what twice?"

"Hoi, five!" Rufus corrected from his perch on Ron's shoulder.

"And I think it was only seven lairs total that we wrecked," Kim added. "And three times it was totally an accident!"

"Right," Lynn said uncertainly. "Anyway, we'll get in touch with you guys later today and see about having a few drinks to celebrate then?"

"Spankin'!" Kim smiled. "But for now, I need sleep."

"You are speak'n my language there, KP," Ron said, stifling a yawn that was quickly echoed by Rufus, and then Kim.

"All right you two old farts, get your sleep," Lynn said with a laugh. With one last wave, she slammed the door to the van shut, and it drove away into the predawn light.

Kim took Ron's hand, and they walked into the building. As they approached the elevators, one opened before them, automatically selecting their floor. "That is still a little creepy," Ron mumbled, leaning against the elevator wall.

Kim nodded an agreement as she leaned against Ron.

"So how long till they try at us again?" Kim asked as the doors opened to their floor.

"Don't know. Think we'll be ready?" Ron replied as the two walked to their apartment.

"Well, if those drones were any example, maybe. I still feel like we should be doing something more," Kim said with a sigh.

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out," Ron answered as they entered their apartment. "Besides, except for taking a bit longer then expected, it wasn't too bad."

Kim nodded. "So, since it isn't quite sunrise yet, is there still time to wish you a happy birthday one last time?"

Ron grinned. "I certainly wouldn't complain, KP."

"Well then, honey, happy birthday," she leaned in to kiss Ron and closed the door.

To be continued...

Author notes:

This one was actually based on my own first Run. While we spent a week of game time planning, and our face _did_ ask the Mr. Johnson who they worked for (I saved the day on that one with a little bit of quick thinking), the rabbit did turn out to be a drone, and the pay was good. However, all the extra BS we did would have just bogged down a simple smash and grab scenario. I'll have something with more planning in a few chapters probably. I mean, that's one of the things I dig about SR, the capper-planning aspect.

Next a big "thanks!" to my prereaders Pete! and Cyberwraith 9, your Queen of Fanfiction and Mine. A big round of applause for the both of them. Especially considering how they still put up with my constant inability to get the whole then/than thing straight. One of these days. I mean it. Really.

I'd like to also thank the folks who've been kind enough to drop reviews and/or added Born to Shadowrun to their story alerts and favs thus far:

Natasel, Blackguard, Etherelemental, Balrog60, Mr. Wizard, Jeff Higgs, mkusenagi2, FireStorm2K7, CajunBear73, Nighthawk, James W, AidanPryde001, Niklos, MrDrP, and Silbar. I hope I didn't miss anyone...

Speaking of my readers, I have something to ask of them. I need some Runner handles for Kim and Ron. Now, I could probably sit down and eventually come up with something workable, sure, but I want to hear what other people think. Mine you guys for some ideas. So if you have a good idea, leave it in a review or drop me a message. Just keep in mind that Lynn is already using the tag Blue Fox, (Zorro Azùl, is Spanish for Blue Fox). If I decided to use your handle idea(s), you'll get a walk on spot in an upcoming Born to Shadowrun chapter. Come on, you know that sounds like a good time!

Keep your eyes open for _Born to Shadowrun: a Christmas in the Shadows_, coming soon!

Water and Shade all.


	6. Seattle, Sorcery, and Sybernetics

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Catalyst (or is it Wizkids? FASA? Whatever...) and Disney does. Please don't sue.

Kim Possible in

Born to Shadowrun

Chapter 6: Seattle, Sorcery, and Sybernetics

Date: March 27th, 2070

Location: Seattle Metroplex, UCAS

"I've heard of all sorts of different boutiques, but this takes the cake," Kim Possible said. She stood on a raised platform, mirrors before her, strange fabrics in a variety of dark colors, and bits and pieces of armor neatly arranged all about.

The elderly Ork looked up from her work to mutter something at Lynn. The young Shadowrunner laughed, and responded in the same tongue.

"What," Kim asked, as the Ork guided her to turn once again, checking something on the fabric. "You know I don't speak a word of Or'zet."

"Your loss, it's a lovely language," Lynn answered.

"Lovely or not," Kim said, growing more perturbed by the moment, "what's so funny?"

"Do you really want to know?" Lynn's eye was quirked up and she was obviously amused.

"Yes!" Kim growled.

"Hey KP, check out the Ron-man's duds!"

Inadvertently interrupting any further discussion of the subtleties of Or'zet, Ron struck a pose for the two of them.

"Not bad," Lynn said with a whistle.

Kim was about to shot a dirty look at her great-niece, but instead decided to evaluate Ron.

He was now outfitted with an armored trench coat of his own, in subtly matted dark browns, greens, and black. Under that, was a tight fitting, two piece body suit, which Kim guessed was also armored. Kim thought the matte black suit was probably a stealth suit like Glynn's, but cut to look a little like a gi. Lightly padded gloves encased his hands, made from the same matte black material. Kim guessed there were more to his boots then met the eye as well, but she couldn't guess what.

All together, it was what Kim was starting to expect from fashion in the twenty seventies. Dark colors on dark colors. However, the little splashes of non black colors helped to ease that. In the end, Kim whistled as well. "Looking good, lover boy," she shot a look at Lynn for emphasis as well.

Ron beamed at her, not noticing the look. "Thanks, Kay Pea. The coat is even flame, acid, and electricity resistant," he proudly exclaimed. "Watch out evil lairs, the Ronster is coming to play!"

Rufus suddenly popped out of one of the trench coat's pockets and clamored up to Ron's shoulder. "Yeah, watch out!" he squeaked, adjusting a pair of what looked like custom fit mirror shades, even as Ron put on a pair of his own.

"You had sun glasses in naked mole rat size?" Kim asked, startled.

"Nope," said the younger dwarf that had been helping Ron. "We just found a pair in human size that matched the mole rat's."

"I knew someone around here could speak English," Kim muttered, freezing up to let the seamstress, _or would it be armor-stress,_ get back to work.

The old Ork chuckled quietly around the pins in her mouth as she continued her adjustment. As she did, Kim watched in the mirror as Ron began to idly strike a few posses. It didn't take her long to realize that he was actually going through some of the Monkey Fu stances. She smiled as she continued to quietly watch him. She'd always be intrigued by the martial art she could never seem to get a handle on. Eventually though, she turned back to her own reflection.

She watched as her new armored "mission clothes" began to come together. Light as silk, stops bullets better than Kevlar, and breaths like Egyptian cotton. Or at least, that's what she was told.

"Look out world, here we come," she breathed.

Date: March 28th, 2070

Location: Headquarters of Seattle Sorcery and Sybernetics, Seattle Metroplex, Extraterritorial

The office was spacious, well decorated, and had a fabulous view. From behind the immense mahogany desk, you could look out and see Seattle stretched beneath you. While the building wasn't as tall as some of the others in the Metroplex, it was situated atop a natural rise given it command of a far better view then its height would normally grant. This was precisely why the chambers sole occupant appreciated this piece of real-estate so much. At least, it was one of the reasons.

Behind the desk was a large leather chair. The chair was an older piece, older then everything else in the room by decades. It had been in the family for some time. The cleaners whispered that it was in fact magic, that the springs where shot through with Oricalcum, and even had a few wilder theories. It varied from time to time. The truth of course was far simpler then that. The chair was simply very well made, and still comfortable.

Sitting in the antique was the obvious ruler of this small domain. He was a statuesque man with a healthy olive complexion. A well tailored business suit contained his broad shouldered frame, kept fit at seemingly no effort. While he did not look that old, he carried the few signs of it with such dignity, that one wondered if the streaks of gray in the dark hair at his temples were simply dyed in.

A soft knock interrupted his contemplations, and he turned from his view to face the door. He waited for a few minutes, cycling though a few of the menus on the cyberterminal in front of him. A soft knock once again filled the room, and the man turned to look at the door once more.

"Yes, enter," the man said, his voice smooth and only baring a hint of a Mediterranean accent.

The door opened to admit a man of slightly heavy build. The well cut suit he wore was a little rumpled from a work day that was probably stretching into its fourteenth hour.

"Ah, Mr. Sinclair, please do take a seat," the man said, graciously indicating one of the chairs on the other side of the desk from him.

"Thank you sir," Mr. Sinclair said, crossing the room to sit heavily in the seat offered.

"Now, I expect that you have good news for me, yes?"

"Yes, I do. I pulled some information from our deniable assets file, and passed word through the Shadows about this job," Mr. Sinclair said. "It took a bit of work, since you said you didn't want this traced back here. I also didn't want to use our normal Mr. Johnson, since it might cause some, uh, odd questions."

"An excellent job, as always, Mr. Sinclair," he said, turning to once again look out at the city beneath him. "But don't you have any questions? You are not curious to nature of this?"

He watched as the hazy reflection of Mr. Sinclair shook its head. "This world is crazy enough without wondering why you'd hire a group of Shadowrunners to steal something from your own company."

"Yes, an excellent bit of reasoning, Mr. Sinclair. You did very well with this too. Please, take Monday off. Spend some extra time with your family."

"Thank you very much, sir, I will," Mr. Sinclair said as he stood to leave. "I'll see you on Tuesday then, Señor Senior?"

"But of course," Señor Senior the Third answered. As the door closed behind Mr. Sinclair, a malicious grin crossed the business tycoon's face. "Now we shall see if you still live up to your potential, Kim Possible."

Date: March 28th, 2070

Location: The Inferno, Seattle Metroplex, UCAS

"So, do we have a deal?" Mr. Johnson calmly asked.

"A moment," Lynn said.

_"Well, what do we think?"_ Lynn asked over their private chat.

_"I think he's offering way too little in the way of Nuyen for this one,"_ Nate offered.

_"You always say that,"_ Glynn said.

_"And he's usually right too," _Lynn said. _"We can negotiate for more. This guys a pro, which means he's low balling us out of professional courtesy."_

_"And how is that professional courtesy?"_ Ron asked.

_"Let's the teams face have something to do. Nate, you're up," Glynn said._

_"I love the bait and switch,"_ Lynn added, as Nate began to enter into casually negotiations over the fine points of ammo use surcharges, breaking and entering extra's, and so on.

_"I don't know, something feels weird about this,"_ Kim commented, frowning slightly.

_"Aw, come on, it sounds like fun,"_ Ron said, grinning at her.

_"It's just a data grab. It's very strait forward. We sneak in, run their node, take the pay data, and leave. No fuss, no muss,"_ Glynn commented. _"This is just how business is done now."_

_"I guess,"_ Kim said.

_"Well, I got him up to a reasonable number, half up front, and the rest held in escrow. Everyone?"_ Nate said, intruding on the conversation.

_"In,"_ Lynn and Glynn said at the same time.

"Beer," Lynn mumbled quickly, as Glynn cursed softly.

_"Should be fun,"_ Ron said.

After a moment, Kim nodded her assent as well.

With a grin, Nate turned back to the Mr. Johnson. "We're on the job. You'll have the data you want by sunrise."

Date: March 29th, 2070 (only just)

Location: Just outside the headquarters of Seattle Sorcery and Sybernetics, Seattle Metroplex, Extraterritorial

"So, Network, part of the extra charge you negotiated for was from just how stupid thick the security is here, right?" Lynn asked, as she passed the imaging binoculars to Glynn, who let out a low whistle as he surveyed the site.

"Naturally," Nate replied.

"Oh? All right then. Ideas?" Lynn said.

Ron had just passed the imaging binoculars off to Kim. "Those are some big mean looking dogs they have there."

"Yeah, those are hellhounds. Magically active mastiffs, before you ask," Glynn supplied.

"Right, let me guess, they breath fire too don't they?"

"Yep," Glynn nodded.

"Figures," Ron said, sighing. "At least I opted to get the fireproofing on the new duds."

"They have pretty good drone coverage, as well as just normal guards. Looks like in-house too, that's got to be good, right?" Kim said, as she handed the imaging binoculars back to Lynn, who tucked them into a pouch on her belt.

"Maybe, but maybe not. Despite what Lone Star and Knight Errant might say, they're not the end-all, be-all for security forces. Some in house can be pretty damn good. These guys look okay at best though," Nate said.

"So, what's the plan?" Ron asked.

Kim blinked as a three dimensional wireframe of the building suddenly appeared before her. As she heard Ron exclaim, "Coolio," she wondered if _she'd_ ever get as used to augmented reality as he was.

As the image closed in on the top of the building, Network began to explain what they were seeing. "What we want is in the upper floors, on the private node of the president. He just happens to have a penthouse on site. Go figure," Network said with a shrug. "Now, first thing we do is sneak the four of you in through here," he continued, as the wireframe zoomed in, becoming a rough floor map.

---

Kim felt some smug satisfaction as she, hanging upside down from her toes, carefully lowered the grate from the vent system to the ground. She couldn't believe they still made ventilation ducts in "hero size." Not that she was going to complain. "All right," she sub vocalized. "We're in, Network."

"_Wiz! As far as I can tell, I was able to blind the alarms on the way in. If they have a Spider, he's not very good, or he has the night off,_" Network's voice buzzed in her ear. "_You're on the residential floors, right?_"

"If the plush carpets and nicely painted walls are any indication, we sure are," Kim responded as she looked out at the hallway.

"_Alright, the systems should be on night mode. That means low lights and few guards. On top of that, it looks like a lot of guest PAN's are congregated in a few rooms at the moment, so any security systems that are here will be in bad shape. This is as good a time as any. Just stick to the plan._"

"Right, Network," Glynn said over the group's channel. Kim dropped silently to the ground to give him room to slip out of the duct as well. Without even a pause, he slipped out the door of the storage closet they were in, and was gone.

---

"After you're in is when the fun starts," Network continued, as the floor plan pivoted on several unseen axes's and came into distinct fore view of their augmented reality. "The reason we're not just sending in Essenn and calling it a night is because there are a lot of extra people there right now. We need extra eyes and ears to cover him, and in case something goes wrong."

Glynn nodded. "No matter how quite I am, I'd prefer to have some extra eyes and ears."

"Please, it's a bunch of rich snobs, eating too many hors d'oeuvre and drinking a lot of spoiled grape juice older than the two of them," Lynn said, point her thumb at Kim and Ron.

"Should we be insulted?" Ron asked genuine confusion tinting his voice.

"Not if it's good wine," Kim answered.

---

After the door closed softly behind her, she picked up the vent grate, and waited for the others. As she waited, she took a moment to look down and smile at her new mission clothes. Made from a light-weight armor fabric, with several gel pads to provide impact protection, it was state-of-the-art materials, combined with her classic look. The armorer had been able to stick with the outfit that Monique had designed for her with only a few modifications. Even if the pants were now made from advanced ballistic rated stealth fibers, the shirt was now long sleeved ending in gloves, and a mask had been added. Kim was pretty sure her fashion diva friend would be pleased. Except, maybe, about the sleeves. At least they got the colors right.

There was barely a sound as a moment later Ron landed next to her. He was decked out in his own ninja-looking mission clothes. Lynn eased herself down last. She was geared out like normal. A skintight body suit that she swore was armored, under a long black armored coat. While she didn't wear a mask like some of the others, she did sport a pair of mirrored shades.

"All right, remember why we're here," Kim heard Glynn hiss over their links. "All we need to do is hook the commlink that the Johnson gave us to the terminal in the head guy's private office. Then, we give Network enough time to pull the paydata into it. After that, sneak back out. As a bonus, security is lax right now because of the party. Simple."

Kim could see Lynn nodding out of the corner of her eyes, as the other girl added, "Easy money, as long as we all stay calm."

"And avoid the roaming guards," Kim added.

"Yeah, and that," Lynn conceded with a sigh.

"_You should stay clear of the drones too,_" Network suddenly chirped in.

"Not forgetting them," Lynn snarled back.

"At least it doesn't look like there's much in the way of Astral defenses," Ron added. Kim couldn't help but grin at his attempt to lighten things up again.

"Yeah, simple," Lynn mumbled.

"So far, so good, right?" Kim added.

A few tense minutes later, Glynn slipped back into the room. "All right, the coast is clear. Let's move. Remember, keep comm chatter to a minimum."

---

"Once you're in and Essenn makes sure things are secure, the best way to the office is through the living quarters," Network explained. Several bright blue lines wormed their way from the utility closet to the office. "Most of these are the servant passages, so they should be clear of most traffic. You are going to have to go though a few of the hallways proper though."

"Network, I'm still not sure about these routes. Going through his house seems a bit needlessly risky," Lynn asked.

"Normally, probably not, Azùl, but tonight's a different case. Thanks once again to the party," Nate replied.

---

"So this is how the other fraction of a percent lives? Creepy," Lynn commented, her voice barely a whisper.

Kim couldn't help but nod in agreement. At regular intervals all along the walls were what must have been a small fortune in some of the most disturbing artwork Kim had ever seen. Tastefully illuminated paintings depicted acts of elegant violence, tantric erotic torture, and vivid landscapes that curled the stomach even as they drew you in. Intense and well-balanced colors, precise brushstrokes, expert balance, and obvious passion marked these as unique and expensive pieces, done by madmen and the emotionally damaged. Alcoves along one wall held small statues in the same esthetics as the paintings, interrupted from time to time by disturbingly normal vases.

"Not how I'm going to decorate when I'm rich," Ron agreed, just loud enough for Kim to hear. The four of them were easing their way down the hall, Glynn in front, carefully checking every door. Then Ron, ready to back him up. After that, Lynn, pistols in hand and ready to fire in either direction. Kim had the rear guard position, making sure that the partygoers weren't upset by their passing. Not that she thought there'd be much chance for that.

As Kim passed another door, she heard the muffled screams of pain and passion coming from the partygoers within. It hadn't taken too long for them to figure out that the main attraction of this little get-together was high end designer drugs, a multitude of rooms, and not a lot of clothes. There were also whips, chains, and other recreational torture devices available in several of the rooms.

While hardly, innocent Kim felt a little dizzy from the smells and sounds that were permeating the living space. As she passed the slightly open door, she glanced in for a moment, but jerked her head back at the strange sigh, and the strong scent of incense coupled with the tangy smell of blood that accompanied it. The whole place was, flavored with it, this weird background feeling of blood and lust. She could feel that Ron wasn't faring much better. Rufus had simply scurried into his pocket when they walked into the living area and hadn't come out.

Kim looked at the image floating in the corner of her view, and saw that they were, thankfully, nearly there. That's when she noticed it; one of the landscapes that was less immediately disturbing than the rest. It depicted the inside of an ancient stone structure. She had the sense that dozens of dark halls led into this assuredly central chamber. There was an impression of light there that was absent from elsewhere, but the light and the earth it bathed were both... off. Tainted. Sickened.

"Have I...?" Kim started to whisper, a nagging memory tickling at her, when there was a thud.

"My bad. Let me just put that back," Ron said, his voice a bit higher than it should have been.

Kim looked over to see Lynn leaning over to scoop up a bronze statue that Ron had knocked over. It looked like she was about to say something less than charming, when Nate's voice broke in on the team frequency.

"_That was wired, guys. A guard's going to be there in a few seconds,_" Nate intoned in his normal, calm, voice.

Sure enough, the sound of feet rapidly approaching rose out of the other ambient sounds. Kim coiled herself and jumped nearly straight up, bracing herself in the dark corner of one of the high ceilings, becoming nothing more than another shadow. She watched as Nate simply stepped into a dark corner next to some of the large and expensive drapes, and also faded from sight.

Lynn dropped her coat to the ground, pulled the zipper on the front of her skin tight suit to her navel, and pulled Ron into a passionate kiss right as the guard rounded the corner.

"What's going on?" the guard asked.

With a soft, wet, pop, Lynn separated her lips from Ron's. "We're, uh, trying to find a little privacy?" Delivered with an airy giggle, Lynn half turned to the guard, keep her hips ground into her inadvertent partner.

"This isn't really an allowed area for party going," the guard replied.

Lynn looked around, her movement's mirroring those of someone not all that sober. "It isn't," she asked in something between a giggle and a whisper. "Oops."

Kim gritted her teeth as Lynn continued, her voice oozing with a husky sexuality. "We're really, _really_ sorry about it." With a casual shift of her shoulders, her body suit opened even further.

The guard's composure finally broke as his eyes roamed down to Lynn's further exposed breasts. Looking at Ron, and misinterpreting his expression of confusion mixed with discomfort, as Lynn wrapped her leg around him, he shook his head. "All right, just remember to keep things to the designated areas, all right?"

"We, will, cross out hearts," Lynn said as she ran a finger across her cleavage. She continued to shoot the guard a hungry look as he picked up the statue, carefully putting it back in place.

"You both have a nice night," he said. As he left, Kim could faintly here him mumbling an all clear into his the microphone clipped to the shoulder of his uniform.

Kim dropped back to the floor right next to Lynn. At the same moment she informed her niece that her improvisations was, "So not a part of the plan."

"So not cool," Ron said at the same moment.

"There was nowhere else to go! I had to improvise or blow the Run. Besides, you're not threatened or anything, are you?" Lynn added, all too innocently.

"No need to be, just try not to improvise with your libido next time," Kim replied, her voice dripping ice.

"Save the catfight for later," Glynn said as he stepped out of the shadows. "We're almost there."

---

"The node is an isolated one, no Matrix or wireless access. Hopefully that means it'll be light on the security. If that's the case, I should be able to find what we need in a few minutes. If it's not though, you guys could be there a bit longer." Nate said, as he handed Glynn a new commlink, purchased just for this mission.

"How long are we talking, Network?" Lynn asked.

"Well..." Nate said, trailing off.

---

"Network, it's been nearly an hour!" Glynn hisses as he paced across the room. "What could possibly be taking this long?"

"_Sorry, Nocturnes, but this Node has some of the blackest ice I've seen in a long damn time. Seriously, if this stuff goes off, it'll cook that little commlink and put the entire building on high alert._" Nate responded. For the umpteenth time.

Kim sighed, and blew an errant bit of her bangs out of her eyes. The two of them had been having this conversation every ten or so minutes since they'd plugged in the commlink.

"_Besides, I just cracked it. You'll be out of there in..._" Network trailed off for a moment, stretching the last word. "_About now,_" he quickly finished.

"Finally," Lynn said, as she sprang to her feet and pulled out the wire connecting the commlink to the cyberterminal. The commlink quickly disappeared into a pocket of her jacket.

"Good, this place is not meshing well with my essential Ron-ness," Ron said as he walked towards the door. An angry muttering from the pocket that Rufus was hiding in seemed to indicate his agreement.

Kim nodded also. As they'd waited, she'd felt more and more off.

"_All right,_" Nate's voice intoned, interrupting Kim's chain of thought. "_Security is even more strangely absent now than it was when you came in, and most of the guests seem to be in the central area, or at least their commlink's are. Now's your best chance to get out clean._"

"All right, let's go," Kim said, slipping out the door.

Date: March 30th, 2070.

Location: Seattle Metroplex, UCAS.

"That does sound like a pretty successful Run, Kim," Ginny said.

"Except for the statue thing and Lynn sucking on Ron's face, yeah, went off like clockwork," Kim said as she sat down at a small, café table with Bonnie and Ginny.

Bonnie giggled a little at that. "Come on Kim, Lynn still just getting out of her teens. Let her be a bit stupid. Besides, social taboos have changed a lot since the start of the millennium."

"I've noticed," Kim said, glancing at some of the PAN's of the other patrons. Some of the comments posted for anyone to see were colorful, at best. Some were even witty about it, although not many.

"Speaking of the little devil, wasn't Lynn supposed to be along today?" Ginny asked, sipping at her coffee.

"She said she had to meet with some of her contacts about some gear she's been trying to get for awhile. But she sends her love," Bonnie said, putting her tea down.

"I still feel a bit weird about the whole thing," Kim admitted with a sigh.

"Is it the Shadowrunning, or that place?" Bonnie asked.

"Both, I guess," Kim admitted with a laugh. "More about the Shadowrunning though. Ron and I were always about helping people out of problems. Not stealing for pay."

"Unfortunately, that's the way of the world right now," Ginny said. "Honestly, this is how business is simply done now. I know this might make you feel like even more of a sellout, but the two of you need to do something with your skills. And that means either being hired on by a corporation, which would probably destroy your soul right out, or Run.

"Organizations like Global Justice just don't exist anymore. On the other hand, neither do groups like the Legion of Villainous Evil or Worldwide Evil Empire. The mad men like Professor Dementor and Doctor Drakken are working for the machine these days instead of living outside of it."

"God but Drakken was whack some days," Kim mumbled to herself. "You're right, I know you are," she continued in her normal tone. "But I want something more. I want to save cats from trees. Help a village in trouble. Save some bumbling scientist's experiment. Something just to help people," Kim ended with a sigh.

"Kay, trust me," Bonnie said, sounding for a moment like the Bonnie Kim remembered from High School. "If anyone can find a way to be a financial _loser_ at Shadowrunning, it's going to be you."

Kim looked over at her former rivals Cheshire Cat grin, and couldn't help but laugh. "You're right, I'm just being melodramatic again. It's not like we have to stop helping people. We just need to find the right people to help," Kim admitted.

"Precisely!" Ginny agreed. "And until then, take some pride in a job well done. No one was hurt, and there was no property damage. I doubt they'll realize they've been hit until whatever it is that got lifted hits the market from someone else," Ginny said. "If not for the whole nepotism thing, I'd recommend you to our own Deniable Asset department."

Date: Early morning, March 29th, 2070

Location: Headquarters of Seattle Sorcery and Sybernetics, Seattle Metroplex, Extraterritorial

"_All right, let's go,_" Kim Possible said, as she and the others slipped from the office.

Señor Senior the Third looked blankly at the screen as he watched the Runners make their way carefully out. The trideo image cast odd colors into the dusky light filling the office from the large windows, and across its sole inhabitant, lounging partially clothed behind his desk. "It looks as though you've recovered from your aliment, Kim Possible. The question is how well?"

The spliced video of the Run started again, and he leaned in to once again study the footage. "For know, I think I will observe. The opportune moment to push you in the proper direction will present it self soon enough. Until then, I shall be patient. There is, after all, still some time."

To be continued...

Author's Notes: Huh, it's been more then a year? I didn't post anything in 2008? Really? Shit. I, ah, blame my own laziness! That's the ticket!

But really, my job situation has been dicey all year, and when I haven't been desperately looking for some sort of work, I've been working seven days a week. I've finally settled into seven days a week of steady work. This, has turned out to more or less be a good thing. After all, I'm working. But, as this is boring real world stuff, let's move on.

Chapter 7 is already about half written. It's the last half too, so it shouldn't be too long until that's up and running. Sorry that this chapter was a bit light on the action too. Cyberwraith9 recommended something going wrong and a nice little fight at the end. And I thought about it too. However, I don't want it in the 3S building. Not yet at least. So, this Run goes smooth. And a run that goes smooth, is one where not a shot is fired.

Thanks for the read and reviews on Chapter 5 and _A Christmas in the Shadows_ from: ShadowBlade989, Lady Rhetorica, Blackguard, majinbuttercup, CajunBear73, Jackaniny, MrDrP, Balrog60, Niklos, and Mr. Wizard.

The Name the Runners contest is still open until I'm done with and posting chapter 7. I like the suggestions I've gotten so far, but I want to see what else might still come in. Winners will see their Handle's used in Born to Shadowrun Chapter 7_: Runt of the Litter_.

Thanks of course go out to my badical prereaders. Taeh Zuh, who's been a source of feedback on the setting and my, I'd like to think slight, abuse of the English language. PETE!, who's made many a catch in terminology that's hopefully helped with making the setting pop a bit more for all of you. And finally, your Queen of Fanfiction and mine, Cyberwraith9, who's many edits and suggestions help my bad spelling so very much (and from whom I stole the Legion of Villainous Evil).

Special Bonus: Since all the core character build books look to be out, time to start stating out the characters. I'm not quite ready to show you all that's going on with Kim and Ron, so we'll start with the other members of the team.

Since I'm a gentleman, ladies first: Lynn Possible, resident gun bunny and femme fatale (as of Chapter 1)

Lynn Possible

Metatype: Human

Attributes: Body 4, Agility 5*, Reaction 6*, Strength 5*, Charisma 5, Intuition 4, Logic 2, Willpower 3.

*denotes an augmented attribute.

Edge: 4, Initiative 10 (2 Passes), Essence 2.99

Positive Qualities: Ambidextrous, Aptitude (pistols), Biocompatibility (Cyberware), Guts, Perceptive.

Negative Qualities: Incompetent (forgery, parachuting), Low Pain Tolerance, Moderate Addiction (Alcohol), Poor Self Control (Thrill Seeker).

Skills: Climbing 3, Gymnastics 3, Running 3, Swimming 3, Pistols (Semi-Automatics) 8 (9), Unarmed Combat 2, Blades 2, Infiltration 3, Etiquette 3, Pilot Ground Craft 1, Perception 2, Automatics 2; English N, Japanese 1, Sperethiel 1, Ares Macrotechnology 2, Club Music 2, SOTA Science 2, Black Markets 2, Ghost Cartels 2. Skills take into account cyber and bioware but not attributes.

Cyberware/Bioware: datajack, cybereyes (eye recording unit, flare compensation, image link, low-light vision, smartlink, thermographic vision, vision enhancement rating 3), cyberears (audio enhancers rating 3, select sound filters rating 4, sound link, spatial recognizer), skillwires rating 3, reaction enhancers rating 1; muscle augmentation rating 2, muscle toner rating 2, orthoskin rating 2, tailored pheromones rating 1, reflex recorder (pistols), synaptic booster rating 1

Gear of note: Transys Avalon Commlink with Iris Orb OS, 2x Ares Predator IV Heavy Pistols (silencer, quick draw holster, and rating 4 fake license for each), Ares Alpha assault rifle, spare clips with either gel rounds or Ex-Explosive for all weapons, grapple gun with 200m of stealth rope and catalyst stick, Fake SIN (rating 4), fake SIN (rating 2), rating 4 fake license for all illegal cyberware, one year basic DocWagon contract.


End file.
